For many organizations, the first step towards Automation and AI/ML is Robotic Process Automation (RPA). This article reviews the top Open Source tools you can use for RPA and eliminates the default licensing barrier. The goal is to bring RPA into your organization and leverage the benefits RPA offers.

In the article, we will cover how you can leverage Open Source programs to jump-start your RPA projects.

The Value of RPA 

A recent trend in the industry is the use of RPA to improve cost efficiencies and increase efficiency in all processes. The use of RPA is gaining a lot of prominence as a cost-reduction mechanism. In many cases, reducing the errors, time, costs, and redundant actions can improve the workflow for customers and all stakeholders.

RPA has the potential to reduce costs by 30% to 50%. It is an intelligent investment in your time and can significantly improve the organization's bottom line. It is very flexible and can do a wide range of tasks, including process replication and web scraping.

RPA helps in predicting error and reducing or eliminating it in the entire process. It also helps to stay ahead of the competition by using intelligent automation. RPA also utilizes in improving the digital customer experience and creating personalized service.

Top Five Open Source RPA Frameworks 

Open Source provides lots of opportunities to be the testbed, grow, and integrate other software in your team, and it also allows you to track what you're doing so you can detect if you're adding any bugs, etc. There are lots of extra features, and it's quick and easy to understand. All of that makes it ideal for a developer to test in the first place and, more importantly, for the business to try. The better the tools your company has to understand what's happening and to identify and fix problems, the less likely it is to incur the cost of failure. 

Open Source requires additional expense and preparation before you begin, but then, so does a partnership or purchasing a new piece of software. When used as an operational component of RPA implementations, Open Source will improve the overall ROI of your enterprise projects.

Below are five Open Source projects you can use to jump-start your RPA programs.

Taskt (https://github.com/saucepleez/taskt)

The advantage of using Taskt over any of the traditional ERP solutions is that Taskt is available as an RPA application that uses standard web browsers. This capability opens up a whole world of possibilities for businesses to re-engineer their traditional business processes using a simple drag and drop interface.

You can explore the capabilities of Taskt by merely going through the samples that are available on the official website. You can also opt for free trials of the app or even set up the application manually. The website provides a comprehensive step-by-step guide on setting up your task automation process and planning the initial stages.

As you'd expect, Taskt is entirely free to set up and use. The only thing you need is to be confident that your business processes can be automated using the solution. It will save you time, money, and workforce regarding HR and accounting work, as you'll no longer have to handle data entry tasks or complex accounting rules. The natural advantages of using Taskt are that it makes it easier for businesses to manage the rising volumes of incoming data.

Robot Framework (https://github.com/robotframework/robotframework)

Robot Framework is the most advanced RPA tool. It helps organizations meet the growing demand for outsourcing and deliver rich business process automation services cost-effectively. It allows organizations to implement and run enterprise-level robotics applications and intelligently deal with complex business processes.

It helps in streamlining business processes, improving IT infrastructure, reducing cost, and increasing agility. It also reduces the workload and opens up more time to handle high-value tasks. Robot Framework's best trait is that it allows organizations to automate their daily routine with minimum fuss. It gives the employees flexibility and time to focus on strategic tasks.

Robot Framework leverages a modern version of SAS (Simple Application Service) originally developed to run on Microsoft Azure but now running on all leading cloud providers. It makes it easy for organizations to implement RPA. It is configurable in various ways: it enables companies to add virtual workers, integrates with other business systems, and automates business processes.

TagUI (https://github.com/kelaberetiv/TagUI)

TagUI for RPA enables you to update your environment and the skills of your employees with zero downtime. It is a perfect environment for remote RPA work. TagUI is a cloud application that you can manage from anywhere in the world. You don't have to come to your office and interact with your staff. TagUI can support up to 15 users. You can manage several sessions within the same mobile device or from a remote PC. It is easy to use and supports a broad range of users. 

Your workers will be trained so that they can handle the work. They don't have to learn the technical aspects of the RPA because the platform will manage all the technical details for them. The interface is customizable.

There are various services from different providers that can help you improve the efficiency of your RPA solution. The TagUI platform makes it easy to find the services that you need, including the following:

  • Continuous Cloud Management. You can monitor the performance of the TagUI platform and improve its performance at any time. With the TagUI cloud management, you can access the reports and insights of the TagUI system anytime to resolve any issues that you have in a short time. It is easy to install the management tool on your PC to monitor the performance and the performance of the TagUI platform 24/7.
  • Process Automation. TagUI supports RPA processes such as creating the work, scheduling the job, and changing the parameters. It helps you integrate various functions of your business, such as quoting, analysis, asset, purchasing, etc. It gives you complete flexibility in terms of managing your operations.
  • Add new RPA capabilities as you need. You can add them from an external platform so that the training can be fast and effective. You can even customize the application to the specific needs of your business. For example, if you question managing the multiple sessions or RPA that you need, you can browse the external platform's features. 

If you want to improve your RPA system's efficiency, you need to have remote management services. With the TagUI platform, you can easily find the solutions that you need. 

Open RPA (https://github.com/open-rpa/openrpa)

While Open RPA does offer many customizations and automation capabilities, its main differentiator is its existing solution architecture. In a nutshell, Open RPA is a mature solution ready to support and scale companies of all sizes. You will find that it supports many of the features listed with the other RPA Open Source solutions on this list, including:

  • Remote Management
  • Remote handling of state
  • Integration with leading Cloud providers
  • Scheduling
  • Dashboards for analytics

Open RPA is listed here due significantly to the active contributions to the project from the community. You will see updates several times per week to the project.

UI.Vision (https://github.com/A9T9/Kantu )

The final Open Source product on this list is a no-code solution call UI.Vision (previously known as Kantu). The solution runs either as a standalone client on your desktop or as a plugin in your Web browser. The product does not require that you learn how to develop scripts. A point-and-click interface drives it.

UI.Vision is an excellent product to use if you are new to RPA and have limited IT resources.

Establishing Metrics to measure the success of RPA 

For RPA implementation, there are three key metrics to consider:

  • Periodic economic cost reduction in a specific area of the business
  • Significant short-term cost reduction to bring processes and business processes into the 21st Century
  • Significant long-term cost reduction to deliver better efficiency and productivity

These are the same metrics for any process, application, or platform improvement. No matter if it's automating a CTO/CIO standard operations process in conjunction with the automation, rolling out an application in conjunction with the automation, you can only determine the success by measuring the business impact through metrics.

Getting Started 

There's no such thing as the perfect time to start an RPA project. Each organization has its timeline for starting the project. To get the most out of the implementation and change management, you'll need to account for their unique needs and how your business will evolve. Some organizations will need to go through the creation and testing phase before they feel comfortable introducing RPA. Even with RPA's ability to speed up repetitive processes, take the time to get it right the first time.

An RPA project has two main components: design and implementation. The creation of the RPA product and the collection of data used in the automation process will occur in the design phase. When the design phase is complete, the RPA implementation phase will start.

If a business has no existing business process automation, then the implementation phase will also start. The company will typically install the RPA product and begin creating the business process that RPA will automate. 

Is Open Source a Replacement for Commercial RPA tools - or a Complement to them? 

For many small and mid-sized companies, price is a barrier (even with freemium solutions). For larger companies, Open Source solutions will fill gaps that commercial products may not fill (such as automating Python).

Are there benefits to the commercial tools that Open Source lacks - and vice versa? RPA is an emerging market that is still seeing early adoption within many organizations. For this reason, I see Open Source and Commercial complementing each other. Both are filling gaps and niches in the market. In other words, there is no "one size fits all" solution. The focus should be on the benefit and value RPA offers and understanding the tools you can use to unlock the value. Your toolbox should contain commercial and Open Source.

If you are looking to enhance your software development skills, we would recommend you to check Simplilearn's Post Graduate Program in Full Stack Web Development. This course can help you hone the right skills and make you job-ready. Explore now and get started.