Robotic Process Automation from the Design-Capital Perspective: Effects on Technical Debt and Digital Options

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openAccess

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Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

A4 Artikkeli konferenssijulkaisussa

Date

2023

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Mcode

Degree programme

Language

en

Pages

10
5442-5451

Series

Proceedings of the 56th Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, Proceedings of the Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, Volume 2023-January

Abstract

Robotic process automation (RPA) is an instantiation of lightweight automation that allows organizations to automate manual business processes quickly and at low cost without modifying the organization's underlying deep information-systems structures. While RPA endows organizations with digital options (e.g., automation ability, cost savings), its implementation is bound to incur technical debt (i.e., accumulate unwarranted complexity in the IT architecture). The paper reports on an action research study shedding light on how RPA ties in with these two notions of a firm's design capital: digital options and technical debt. Findings indicate that RPA can create digital options through improvements in knowledge reach, knowledge richness, and process richness. These benefits come at the cost of accumulating technical debt which stems from additional technical complexity and maintenance obligations.

Description

Publisher Copyright: © 2023 IEEE Computer Society. All rights reserved.

Keywords

action research, design capital, digital options, Robotic Process Automation, technical debt

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Citation

Ruha, L, Rinta-Kahila, T & Penttinen, E 2023, Robotic Process Automation from the Design-Capital Perspective: Effects on Technical Debt and Digital Options . in T X Bui (ed.), Proceedings of the 56th Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences . Proceedings of the Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, vol. 2023-January, Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, pp. 5442-5451, Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, Maui, Hawaii, United States, 03/01/2023 . < https://hdl.handle.net/10125/103298 >