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The results and key learnings of Elenia’s Citizen Development Program
Paiju Koivula
Elenia, Finland’s second largest electricity grip service company, has been using automation to streamline its operations since 2016, and to scale automation more effectively, the company organized its first Citizen Development training in collaboration with Sisua in 2020. Now, two training sessions have been conducted, and Elenia has successfully accelerated its automation production, saving thousands of working hours and boosting employee satisfaction.
Sisua Digital has been Elenia’s partner in leveraging automation since the early days, dating back to 2016. Currently, Elenia has over 100 implementations in production, with approximately 5 robots in operation.
Elenia’s initial robotics training took place in 2020, with 20 participants. In 2023, the training was conducted again, with Sisua Digital once again participating as trainers, introducing new members to the field.
Automation has been scaled with the support of a one-person Center of Excellence team, with assistance from Sisua, and through the efforts of Elenia’s citizen developers, internally referred to as the Robotics Farm Team. An integral part of this scaling has been the internal farm team, enabling a steady growth in the number of automation implementations.
KPIs for the training program: automation production has multiplied since starting the program
The KPI's for the Citizen Development program
After the second training, Elenia now has a total of 11 licenses for citizen developers, each equipped with UiPath Studio Pro Developer licenses, enabling them to carry out full-scale robotics implementations. As a result of the Citizen Developer program, over 50 automation implementations have been created. These implementations run independently in Orchestrator, allowing them to be viewed, monitored, and controlled. Citizen developers’ individual licenses empower them to create personal implementations, managed on their own workstations.
The program has saved over 7,000 work hours and processed more than 55,000 tasks. Approximately 40 employees have been trained in the program, who understand the benefits and limitations of automation, and are capable of promoting awareness throughout the organization. Every employee in the organization is aware that the company utilizes robotics, and they understand the tasks performed by the robots. The familiarity with robotics across the organization also reduces the barrier for implementing automation.
What were the key learnings from organizing the programs?
In the training conducted in 2020, several insights were gained to improve the subsequent training. For instance, Elenia recognized the importance of allocating work hours for citizen developers to learn new technology and ensuring that employees have the opportunity to apply their acquired knowledge. Since citizen developers often engage in development alongside their regular duties, providing time for employees to implement and apply learned skills is crucial.
Before organizing the training, it is essential to thoroughly assess the participants’ baseline skills. If the skill levels among trainees vary significantly, tailoring training to meet everyone’s needs becomes more challenging. While training programs aim to enable and involve participants, it is advisable to select developers from teams with substantial automation potential, often referred to as ‘low-hanging fruit.’
The right number of participants is also crucial for the success of the training. A smaller group is likely more effective to ensure comprehensive training and personalized support.
Key learnings from organizing the Citizen Development program:
- Careful Selection of Trainees: It’s important to ensure that participants are technically oriented and possess the capabilities to use the chosen technology. This helps in accurately assessing the baseline and ensuring uniformity in the skill levels of trainees.
- Communication Increases Appreciation and Understanding: Successful deployment is ensured by informing the entire organization about robotics. This ensures appreciation for technology throughout the organization, leading to support from leadership for training initiatives.
- Regular Review Meetings Support Developers: Holding regular meetings allows developers to share successes and insights gained from specific systems, providing peer support for any challenges. It is crucial to provide necessary support to citizen developers when needed.
- Ensure the Right Technology: Utilizing tools such as Orchestrator facilitates automation monitoring. Providing developers with access to Orchestrator allows a small Center of Excellence (CoE) to manage a broader range of implementations. This enables developers to track their team’s tasks and restart implementations if necessary.
What kind of roles should be given for the training participants?
At Elenia, it was essential to provide employees with new opportunities for growth, training, and advancing their professional skills. Therefore, the training opportunity wanted to be made obtainable also for those who may not be as technically oriented but want to drive their team or Elenia forward and enhance efficiency. In Elenia’s case, it was observed that participants should be categorized into two types: Builders (Developers) and Agents, who are responsible for automation documentation, among other tasks.
Builders are more technically proficient individuals who had some experience with UiPath or possibly some coding background, possessing the technical skills needed. Their goal was set to have the ability to build robots and monitor or correct existing implementations.
In addition to Builders, Agents were trained, primarily tasked with collaborating with business personnel on potential automation targets and defining robot requirements. Agents can promote the benefits of robotics, understand the capabilities of robots, and develop processes. They can identify automation opportunities, drive them forward, and, most importantly, participate in process development.
In both training sessions, Sisua Digital served as the trainer, conducting the training and being involved throughout the training period.
Overall, Elenia serves as a great example of effectively scaling automation with UiPath in a short period. The Citizen Developer model is not tool-dependent and integrates well with other platforms, such as MS Power Platform. Sisua Digital, being a UiPath Platinum Partner and a Power Platform Partner, can provide training for both tools.
Key insights
- Elenia scaled automation through citizen developers.
- Program created 50+ automation implementations.
- Over 7,000 working hours saved with employees’ implementations
- Training requires support, communication, technology.
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