Ways To Run Business Process Automation Courses

In this article, we will delve into the more “technical” aspects of delivering online training by focusing on a specific area—training in business process automation (BPA). This serves as an example of effectively providing online training.

In today’s world, there is a growing demand for a diverse range of specialists in various emerging technologies. While many learners lean toward Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence (AI), the need for process automation training remains substantial. When delivering industry-focused digital platform-driven automation training, it’s crucial to consider the training environment, particularly the industry settings, to create professional-level automated workflows.

Institutions and organizations that emphasize providing industry-standard technical training to learners should establish strong connections with the industries they are preparing their workforce for. This allows them to stay updated on current trends and workplace standards. Moreover, students must first grasp the project requirements because no project can achieve its technical objectives without addressing the business objectives. It is also advantageous to base the training on a single technical environment that is in high demand, such as Microsoft Dynamics 365 Medium.

Three Key Requirements for Effective Business Process Automation Training

To provide successful business process automation training, three essential requirements need to be addressed:

1. Familiarizing Students with Environments and Pipelines

Although the specifics may vary among training providers, three core automation environments are critical for all organizations and should be covered in the training:

• Dev Environment: This is where the automation work takes place, including the design of automation flows and other processes. It’s important that student developers can easily fix errors and make necessary changes in this environment.
• UAT Environment: In this environment, finished products are released for testing and beta testing.
• Prod Environment: This is where the automation or product is released to users for test deployment.

In addition to these environments, pipelines need to be established, preferably using Azure DevOps for automations built in the Dynamics 365 environment. These pipelines enable the deployment of automated processes across different environments.

2. Subscriptions

As most automation tools are now cloud-based, having a subscription throughout all stages of development is essential. For example, when a flow is set to perform a specific operation, it requires access to a premium connector to complete the task. Both students and training providers should have access to the same subscription levels to work effectively.

For instance, in a project related to robotic process automation, both the trainer and trainee can download Power Automate Desktop for free (subject to having a licensed version of Windows 10 or 11, with limited functionality but sufficient for learning the essentials). Projects can be tailored to specific industry settings, such as banking or insurance.

3. Developing Multi-skilled Students

When it comes to learning automation, the possibilities are vast. Training providers should aim to familiarize their trainees with various types of automation, including instant cloud flow automations, business process automations, and robotic process automations (RPA). This comprehensive approach equips learners to independently design and develop multifaceted systems with a wide range of functions, without the need for constant supervision.

One potential approach is to challenge learners to create an automated flow where changes in data features (e.g., price or discounts in a sales automation form) trigger various customization options in an Excel sheet. This, in turn, initiates automation (RPA) and sends updates via email to executives. Once approved, it triggers another flow (cloud flow) to post status updates on the organization’s social media platforms.

Closing Thoughts: Embracing Emerging Technologies

The demand for automation specialists continues to grow, driving the need for automation training. What’s both exciting and challenging about emerging technologies is the continuous transformations and the requirement for ongoing upskilling. In light of this, automation training platforms should be regularly updated to align with new technical developments as they emerge.