Agencies Lean Into Automation During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, federal agencies are broadening and expediting robotic process automation efforts to deal with disruptions and drive productivity. During a virtual ATARC panel Tuesday, officials from three agencies offered a glimpse into automaton use cases that are boosting operations, detailed how they're gaining buy-in from personnel along the way and considered how the present pandemic-induced reality could transform the future of work. The officials were joined by experts with insights into industry and state governments. "None of our job descriptions said'you will cut and paste, cut and paste, cut and paste.' So that's what RPA is letting us give up," Stacy Dawn, senior adviser for cybersecurity and privacy at the Housing and Urban Development Department, said.