This course is designed for accountancy, finance and business professionals working in all organisations from small business, large corporates or financial services or who are just interested in learning more about these new and exciting technologies and how they can transform organisational processes and customer experiences of services and products. With a focus on practical skills throughout, this course provides the ability to apply skills as well as understand them.
Overview
Syllabus
1. What is Intelligent Automation
The concept
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Why finance functions need to transform
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The nature of the opportunity
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Target operating model for finance
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Role of the finance function in decision making
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Data governance – one version of the truth
IA and process improvement
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Relation between IA and process optimisation
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How clean do your processes need to be?
The tools in overview
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Robotic Process Automation
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Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence
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Python
How it is delivered ?
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Overview of software
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End-user vs. formal IT project
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Agile project approaches
2. Process optimisation
Approach
Role of automation
Workflow management
Design thinking
Implication on headcount
3. Choosing the solution
Approach
Business issues facing finance
Correctly identify the problem / opportunity
Opportunity
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What type of processes are you looking to automate?
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Repetitive processes vs. judgement
Evaluating candidates
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Is RPA the right solution?
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Repetition and frequency
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Data manipulation
Types of RPA solution
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Do-it yourself – user level using publicly available / free tools, such as Python
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Off-the-shelf – package software
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Customised – vendor developed bespoke solutions
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Selecting the appropriate solution
4. Do-it-yourself
Python based solutions
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What is Python?
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Application of Python to finance problems?
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Machine Learning in context of finance
Examples
- Where Python based solutions are
Case studies
- Practical examples using Python skills
Skills and resources
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Skills needed to implement such a solution
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Resources needed
5. Off-the-shelf
Vendor landscape
- Nature of RPA tools available
Demonstration
- Case study of implementation
Scenario/lab exercise
- Simple process definition exercise
Skills and resources
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Skills needed to implement such a solution
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Resources needed
6. Customised RPA
Overview
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Where customised RPA may be applicable
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Identifying procurement process
7. Comparing options
Case study
- Exercise on selecting right approach
8. Developing the business case
Business case
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Defining the problem
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Establishing the benefits
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Identifying the processes
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Project team structure
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Risk management and governance
Activity
Walk-through exercise of business case
Taught by
Tze Chem and Clive Webb
