Process Definition Document(PDD) Overview for RPA
Process Definition document is something that helps you to document the existing process.
Once a process has been identified as a potential candidate for automation, it is time to document it in detail.
This will serve as the basis for implementing software bots that will handle the manual process in the future.
During the requirement gathering phase, the developer and the Business analyst will closely work with the clients/ business side to get familiar with the current process.
After finding all the gaps and possibilities of improvements in the process to make it more flexible for automation, the results of this requirement gathering phase is collected in a document called Process Definition Document.
After documenting it will be shared with the business side for approval.
With this we get to know about the PDD and how it is documented.
Now, let’s see the steps involved while creating a PDD.
There are several formats/ templates that you can follow for creating one for you. This is something that I follow:
Process Definition Document:
1. Introduction:
Purpose of the document:
Provide a brief description of why we are using this document.
How this helps to the developer and the target process description.
Objectives:
Mention what is the main motto behind automating this process by the business owners.
Examples like process execution time and soon.
Key Contacts:
Who was responsible from the business side for clarifying all the doubts or clarifications on exceptions in the process to the development team.
Prerequisites for Automation:
This section discusses the server, tool licenses, and permissions or restrictions on the client environment.
Mainly the required test data for developing the process.
2. As-Is Process:
Process Overview:
Here we usually mention the process name, time spent manually for completing it, and also the short description of the process.
Applications Used in the Process:
This section mention all the applications that are used to perform automation of the business process.
As-Is Process Steps:
Gather a step by step process for the business process and document it in this section.
3. To be Process Description:
To be Process Map:
As we discussed earlier while gathering requirements we made some changes to the existing process.
High level overview of all those steps to be described in this process map.
May be as a flow diagram or step wise.
To Be Process Steps:
Complete steps about how the bot is going to design will be documented here.
Parallel Initiatives/ Overlap:
In this section, we mention about any server upgrades or any updates of application which we are using in automation.
In Scope for RPA:
Mention what are possibilities/activities that bot can perform in that particular business process.
Out of Scope for RPA:
Mention what are possibilities/activities that bot can’t perform in that particular business process.
Business Exceptions Handling:
What are the known exceptions that might encounter while doing that process manually?
This helps the developer to integrate those exception handling mechanisms to handle errors while executing the bot.
Application Error Handling
Here we need to mention the known errors that can cause often in the business process.
4. Reporting:
This section mention whom to report all the execution results and exception reports of the bot.
5. Additional Sources of Process Documentation:
Mention all the recorded videos or any other documents that are referred for creating this process definition document.
Note:
Mention all the required document links wherever needed.
Need a sample PDD?
Watch the complete explanation for sample PDD below: