Do's and Don'ts for Human and Digital Worker Integration

TL;DR

This paper discusses best practices for integrating human workers and digital automation tools like RPA and intelligent process automation into business processes, emphasizing broader evaluation metrics and levels of autonomy.

Contribution

It introduces a comprehensive framework for evaluating human-digital worker integration, moving beyond cost comparison to include multiple autonomy levels and diverse performance metrics.

Findings

Broader evaluation metrics improve integration decisions.

Multiple levels of autonomy enhance process flexibility.

Holistic approaches better align automation with business goals.

Abstract

Robotic process automation (RPA) and its next evolutionary stage, intelligent process automation, promise to drive improvements in efficiencies and process outcomes. However, how can business leaders evaluate how to integrate intelligent automation into business processes? What is an appropriate division of labor between humans and machines? How should combined human-AI teams be evaluated? For RPA, often the human labor cost and the robotic labor cost are directly compared to make an automation decision. In this position paper, we argue for a broader view that incorporates the potential for multiple levels of autonomy and human involvement, as well as a wider range of metrics beyond productivity when integrating digital workers into a business process