How can you make your automation processes scale, be reliable, and easy to maintain?

In my view, an important prerequisite for choosing a solution approach is that there is a local caretaker for the future application and that it is ensured that this role is performed with ownership.

Another way automation is beneficial is through scaleable IoT platforms, with a custom developed application for your particular need. Since this industry is booming as of now, there are many integrators who can do a customized solution for not so much charge. Going with the big guys will always end up in a huge upfront expense which may delay the process.

In addition to that, the tool can also align with development tech stack. So it will easily to integrate levels of testing from development to uat. Also team will talk in same language and can help each other across development to qa and Devops.

To optimize automation, focus on modular design, standardized practices, and robust error handling. Scalability planning, automated deployment, and continuous improvement are vital for reliability and easy maintenance.

The controls platform and software selection is a very important step in order to be capable of scaling as well as have an efficient operation. Stand alone or fully integrated systems must to capable of fast fault recovery and have diagnostic tools written into messaging. Beware of an enticing prices or simple configurations that will cause grief for the entire life cycle of a product and grind output to a halt effecting your ability to fill orders.

Design with scalability in mind is the most important factor - and that design has multiple parts to it. You need to design your RPA team correctly - have the right mix of business and technical people with a sprinkling of experience. You need to design your framework or model to have the right sponsorship, the right change management, the right discovery/pipeline methodology, the right education. Finally, the design of your automated solutions need to be robust and reliable, supportable, reusable, and provide the MI you need to keep monitoring, change, and support costs down. Easy right...??!

Framework should be loosely coupled and integrated with components like POM , Test Data , Tests , Utilities, CI , Documentation.

Mapping your process using basic industrial engineering tools and illustrations will help frame up the system structure allowing the process parameters to be identified and located as well as all the inputs to the process. This important step should be completed before any equipment concepts or floor layouts begin.

And security! Implement proper access controls and encryption mechanisms to protect sensitive data and ensure that only authorized personnel can make changes to automation processes. Regularly update security protocols to stay ahead of emerging threats.

Making the automation scalable can also be cost effective in the long run. In the case of future refurbishments, especially in harsh environments that will require frequent refurbishments planning early and modularizing the processes allows for easy transition into "new" and "improved" processes.

This signifies the importance of Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT) and Site Acceptance Testing (SAT) prior to Commissioning and Start Up. Conducting FAT and SAT will ensure any bugs and glitches found on the system are fixed and identify any performance testing that will be done during commissioning

BDD approach helps to do traceability along with updating the bugs in the feature level to show the matrix with quality and prioritize the features to deliver. Continuous Integration thru Jenkins (build tool) to verify the test build is success and push the artifacts to jfrog to pull the tests and run in app build jobs for continuous deployment and validate the app thru tests and perform build promotion. This whole CI/CD journey will get faster feedback and successful deliverables.

Top automation platforms allow you to connect different version control branches to the orchestrator. This enables the use of CI/CD best practises, and easily separate development, testing/UAT and production processes.

Version control system like Git or Bitbucket mandatory process. It allows to backup the code and get latest code from across team. Also we can try integrate the rules and lint (static code analysis) like Gerrit can be helpful to streamline the code and get clean code in the Git repo.

Here are the essential strategies to ensure your automation processes are top-notch: Strategic Scalability: Align automation with business goals and prioritize scalability from the start for adaptable growth. User-Centric Reliability: Ensure consistent, user-focused performance to meet expectations and enhance reliability. Continuous Maintenance Improvement: Foster a culture of ongoing improvement for easier maintenance and optimal functionality.

Implementing version control is essential for any code project not just automation, offering efficient change tracking, collaboration, and code integrity. It fosters transparent and accountable development. This act as a safety net, enabling quick recovery from data loss or disasters. These practices mitigate risks, streamline code management, and promote adherence to best practices, enhancing the overall development workflow.

Well, I have a simple answer to this, hire a competent control guy and pay the guy well. Rest assured that he will take good care of your control system as if it is his own baby.

We use customer satisfaction tools as well as gestampt, recordings and feedback forms/ surveys to make sure we anticipate on user needs.

Peer review helps to steam line the code and frequent checks on build can provide good sign of test automation stream health. Always run health checks on each build to make sure the system is up and ready for test which can give Green flag for system or integration tests.

Don't forget about the human element! Ensure that your team is well-trained in using the automation tools and processes. Develop comprehensive documentation and training materials so that new team members can quickly get up to speed. Additionally, provide ongoing support and resources for troubleshooting.

To optimize automation, focus on modular design, standardized practices, and robust error handling. Scalability planning, automated deployment, and continuous improvement are vital for reliability and easy maintenance.

Personally, documentation is the most important. A simple process diagram using Miro or Whimsical to chart out the process flow, and identifying areas of improvements / challenges. This would help people who enter the loop later on to have an idea of what's going on. Otherwise, they might be repeating / wasting the efforts of those who have already tried to fix the same problems!

In my opinion Error Handling is one of the most important aspect when it comes to reliability & robustness ! So Implement robust error-handling mechanisms to gracefully manage unexpected situations. Clearly define error messages and logging procedures for effective troubleshooting.

I see organizations considering automations as a tool in business hands not bringing the IT folks to support initially. For scalability and reliability, apply enterprise IT policies, integrate the automations with ITSM processes. Treat automations as any other enterprise software and let the IT folks support it.