Our Automation Was Clicking Through Screens Nobody Had Promised to Keep

Description and use

Screen‑based automation created hidden integration gaps and high maintenance costs. After auditing, replacing 14 bots with APIs, and documenting the rest with expiry dates, the organization reduced risk and improved governance.

Problem

Relying on screen‑level automation caused maintenance headaches, hidden integration gaps, and no clear path to proper interfaces.

Outcome

Reduced maintenance burden, surfaced hidden integration gaps, and established a governance model for screen‑level automation.

Workflow

• 1. Identify bots that rely on screen interactions.
• 2. Audit each bot for maintenance impact and hidden integration gaps.
• 3. Prioritize bots that can be replaced by documented interfaces.
• 4. Build or request the necessary APIs, leveraging existing support contracts.
• 5. Replace screen bots with API‑based solutions.
• 6. For remaining bots, assign owners, set expiry dates, and document cost of proper fixes.
• 7. Record all changes in a visible repository for finance and governance.

Evidence

In May a supplier shipped a routine interface update. Twelve of our robots stopped, which was a nuisance.

Source

Fourteen of the forty six have been retired. Five were replaced by the interfaces we should have built originally.

Source