Robotics community as a learning system
“Working in sprints” and “build-measure-learn logic” are buzzwords people like to use. Our Robotics Competence Centre, however, applies agile working methods from total conviction. For example, the team switched over its working method to pairing and has maintained it ever since. Mini-teams from RCC and the departments work together on a single screen and a single keyboard. This approach has brought unprecedented thoroughness and, at the same time, a fast pace.
Prioritising quick wins has also proved to be highly efficient for the organisation. This means that the first use cases to be automated should immediately bring substantial benefits, significantly reduce workloads, and be able to be technically well mapped using RPA software. Bulk business transactions are eminently suited to this mix.
The agile review meeting too has become standard in the RCC and has now been incorporated into an international community structure. Within the community, networking between individual competence centres is ensured, successes are celebrated, best practices shared, various working methods discussed and RPA software tools presented.
Do not underestimate the fear of change
Automation still worries many people! Time and again, individual colleagues are concerned that robots could take away their jobs. Left alone, they could delay or even block the use of new technologies like RPA. It is therefore particularly important to take everyone along with the transformation.
Even if, from the area of innovation, we consider this to be unfounded, we definitely want to address these concerns. Our business analysts explicitly address the uncertainties. Besides their role as a link between the department and IT, they are also a kind of project change manager for the teams of experts.
Involving works councils as early and as fully as possible is also part and parcel of raising awareness. For our projects, this is not only a must in the context of corporate co-determination. Above all, it is also a particular success factor at ERGO. We regularly present automation projects using robotics to the works councils.
Translating celebrations and pride into communication
For us, celebrations are an integral part of the trade. At ERGO, teams give “their” robots names, and have even been known to bake “go-live” cakes. The Competence Centre and team of experts celebrate every start of a new robot with a team event. They stand together in front of the screen and look on as the artificial colleague carries out its first customer jobs.
We also go into each project with a small, in-house communication concept. We want to be transparent and communicate early on, using multimedia, and in a way that is appropriate to the audience. Best practice is for the robotics team to create only the communication framework. On stage, however, are the teams of experts themselves, presenting their new solutions to the in-house audience.
For doing good and having other people talk about it is even better than doing good and talking about it yourself!