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As-Is vs To-Be Automation Comparison

Run the Automation Comparison MicroSim Fullscreen

About This MicroSim

The same employee-onboarding process modeled three ways: Manual (9 days, lots of handoffs), RPA (3 days, bots replace data entry), and Workflow Automation (1 day, API orchestration). Switch panels to compare cycle time, handoff count, and value-added ratio. Toggle Show 8 Wastes to highlight the Lean wastes that disappear with each generation of automation.

Embedding This MicroSim

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Lesson Plan

Learning Objectives

By the end of this activity, students will be able to:

  1. Compare manual, RPA, and workflow-automation versions of the same process
  2. Quantify cycle-time and handoff differences
  3. Articulate the tradeoffs of each approach (RPA = quick + fragile; Workflow = slower + strategic)
  4. Identify Lean wastes in a manual process

Suggested Activities

  1. Three-Panel Walk (10 min) — Walk through each panel; record stats
  2. Tradeoff Essay (15 min) — Defend RPA-first or Workflow-first as a starting strategy for a small company
  3. Waste Hunt (10 min) — In the manual panel, find every instance of Waiting and Motion

References

  • van der Aalst, W. (2018). Robotic Process Automation.
  • Lean Enterprise Institute. Lean Lexicon.