Automated PDD (AS IS Process)

[EVIPUTI]

Hi Team,

As AS IS process is a important part of our RPA project and sometimes can be more time taking and not very interesting task for a BA, Why not automate this ? 

Can we create a BP Process Bot(Say BP Documentor) which when running on SMEs machine can allows you to capture AS IS process in a form of step-by-step manual with screenshots and text instructions. 

A BOT which silently is running as a background process monitors actions of the subject matter expert and his team and generates word or PDF or video file containing screenshots, data or keys used or the attributes or differences if they perform while doing some task and of what is happening on the screen. After exporting, you can save the session in a document for further editing to be done by a BA or PEX or create a skeleton of a Blue Prism Solution with detailed notes for the developer who would be afterwards implementing the solution.

The same Bot can be running N number of a times for a single process but with different Project Team members making sure it captures all the running steps what all team members are performing and find out if they are performing some steps which are different in between.This can be make sure to minimize miscommunication when capturing the process to be automated. Rather than doing workshops and listening to the customer, you can give him/her a tool that would listen for you.

[NicholasZejdlik]

For clarification, how would this be different from Windows' PSR utility?

[John__Carter]

I can see the benefit of a tool to help with the chore of capturing the AS IS definition, because keystroke detail is essential to teach the digital worker, yet getting that detail can be hard work. My concern would be that by using an automated tool, delivery teams and clients might think that they don't need to think anymore, because the PDD is 'done'. To me, the PDD (and SDD or any other delivery document) is just the vehicle to a delivery milestone; it's the effort, thought and collaboration that goes into getting, defining and agreeing the information in the document that counts. The format of the information is less important.

Definition and agreement on requirements, scope, unhappy path, exception handling, strategies for testing, implementation and operation etc - all these things are vital for successful delivery and my worry with over reliance on automated documentation would be that these critical elements are not given enough attention and a build is based on a one time recording of one SME performing his/her interpretation of the AS IS on one case.

I would support any initiative for reduction of tedious effort (after all that's why we're all here), but only if it helps us work smarter.