What software should you learn to succeed in Process Automation consulting?

A few crucial aspects for a Business Analyst (BA) include: 1. Domain Knowledge: It's vital to understand the business. Start by picking up skills in horizontal domains like HR, Finance, and Accounting, then expand your expertise into verticals. 2. Documentation Skills: Learn how to effectively document processes, such as creating flowcharts and SIPOC diagrams. The specific tool used for this isn't as important as the skill itself. 3. Process Optimization: Develop the ability to enhance processes through automation or identify potential automation opportunities. Acquire knowledge in Six Sigma and Lean methodologies, and study various cases of processes before and after automation.

To succeed in Process Automation consulting, focus on mastering tools like UiPath, Automation Anywhere, and Blue Prism for Robotic Process Automation (RPA). Gain expertise in workflow design, scripting languages (e.g., Python), and integration platforms (e.g., MuleSoft). Additionally, learned process mapping with tools like Visio, and understood business process management (BPM) concepts. Continuous learning in emerging technologies and staying updated on industry trends are crucial for success in this dynamic field.

This is a space that's making a lot of progress. With the onset of commercial ML models and Generative AI. Businesses are exploring use cases of using Generative AI and RPA / BPM technologies, some of them could be Automated Invoice Processing, Customer Onboarding, Fraud Management, Personalized marketing and Sales, Credit Application Processing, etc..

Low-code/No-code tools such as Power Automate in M365 enabled everyone to create automated cloud-base/on-trigger/time-based workflow solution.

From my experience, I could see that Process mining and Task mining tools from UiPath platform are very useful for Process mining/discovery. UiPath process mining provides insights into how processes are executed by gathering and visualizing data from various sources, it helps organizations identify bottlenecks, inefficiencies, and areas for improvement in their workflows. Task mining tool helps organizations identify repetitive and time consuming tasks that could benefit from automation by capturing user actions, providing insights into how tasks are performed across different softwares.

For someone looking to get started in the process automation space, knowing BPMN notation, and BPM tools ( like IBM BAW, Appian, etc.), any one of the RPA tools would be a good start. As you progress in the process automation journey, you need to learn the Process Mining tools like Celonis. Basically, during the process automation, the projects can include mining new processes, Optimizing process flows, developing processes, and automating any repeatable processes. There are many online free courses and vendor-specific courses available for anyone to get started on process automation.