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APROPOSALFORTHEIMPROVEMENTOFFINANCIAL
ACADEMICPROCESSES
FilipeApa ícioOli ei a
P ocessModelingandanalysisinNOVAIMS
P ojec Wo kp esen edas hepa ial equi emen  o 
ob ainingaMas e 'sdeg eeinIn o ma ionManagemen 
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NOVAIn o ma ionManagemen School
Ins i u oSupe io deEs a ís icaeGes ãodeIn o mação
Uni e sidadeNo adeLisboa
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APROPOSALFORTHEIMPROVEMENTOFFINANCIALACADEMIC
PROCESSES
PROCESSMODELINGANDANALYSISINNOVAIMS
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FilipeApa ícioOli ei a
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P ojec Wo kp esen edas hepa ial equi emen  o ob ainingaMas e 'sdeg eeinIn o ma ion
Managemen ,Specializa ioninIn o ma ionSys emsandTechnologiesManagemen 
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Ad iso :P o .Ví o ManuelPe ei aDua edosSan os,Ph.D.
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Feb ua y2019
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iii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The accomplishmen o his wo k was possible hanks o he con ibu ion o se e al people, o whom
I would like o exp ess my g a i ude.
Fi s , I would like o hank my p o esso and ad iso Vi o San os o he pa ience, dedica ion, and
suppo a all s ages o he c ea ion o his wo k and o all he knowledge you ha e gi en me du ing
he las academic yea s.
Thank D . Sil ia San os, esponsible o he inancial se ices o NOVA IMS, o he a ailabili y, and
suppo . Wi hou he , his wo k could no be done since she was he majo poin o collec
in o ma ion abou he inancial p ocesses.
Thank my amily o all kinds o suppo and dedica ion.
Thank my iend and colleagues ha we e he e all he ime mainly when I mos needed i .
These pe sons allowed me o comple e his wo k and g ow as a pe son. Thank you.
i
ABSTRACT
Business P ocess Managemen is known o he imp o emen i causes in p ocesses, such as cos and
esou ces spending educ ion. P o iding he capabili y o unde s and p ocesses his echnique is
an added alue o e e y company. I can also be a base o u u e implemen a ions such as he use
o new echnologies as Robo ic P ocess Au oma ion. The RPA comes wi h he po en ial o educing
manual, simple, ecu en , and ime-consuming asks, exis en in e e y p ocess, changing hem o
au oma ic ac ions. This wo k p ojec will analyze he s a e o Financial Se ices om NOVA IMS, a
acul y om Uni e sidade No a de Lisboa, along wi h i s possible ine iciencies. The e o e, he
objec i e o his wo k is o apply BPM echnologies and echniques and acqui e knowledge abou he
inancial p ocesses and conclude wi h some imp o emen c i ics based mainly on he use o Robo ic
p ocess au oma ion.
KEYWORDS
Business P ocess Managemen , P ocesses modeling, Financial P ocess, Au oma ion, and Robo ic
P ocess Au oma ion.
INDEX
1. In oduc ion .................................................................................................................................... 1
1.1. Backg ound ............................................................................................................................. 1
1.2. S udy Objec i es ..................................................................................................................... 1
1.3. Me hodology .......................................................................................................................... 2
1.4. NOVA In o ma ion Managemen School ................................................................................ 3
1.5. NOVA IMS – O ganiza ion Cha ............................................................................................. 4
1.6. Financial Se ices .................................................................................................................... 5
2. Li e a u e Re iew ............................................................................................................................ 6
2.1. Business P ocess Managemen ............................................................................................... 6
2.1.1. Concep s ......................................................................................................................... 6
2.1.2. BPM Li e Cycle................................................................................................................. 7
2.1.3. P ocess modeling ............................................................................................................ 8
2.1.4. Business P ocess Model and No a ion............................................................................ 9
2.1.5. Modeling ools .............................................................................................................. 11
2.1.6. P ocess ans o ma ion................................................................................................. 14
2.2. Robo ic P ocess au oma ion ................................................................................................. 16
3. P ojec De elopmen .................................................................................................................... 18
3.1. En i ies .................................................................................................................................. 18
3.1.1. Ac o s ............................................................................................................................ 19
3.1.2. Sys ems ......................................................................................................................... 19
3.1.3. Documen s .................................................................................................................... 19
3.2. Tools ...................................................................................................................................... 20
3.3. P ocess Models ..................................................................................................................... 21
3.3.1. Mac o p ocess .............................................................................................................. 21
3.3.2. P ocesses ...................................................................................................................... 21
3.4. P oposal o imp o emen s .................................................................................................. 27
4. Conclusions ................................................................................................................................... 30
Re e ences .......................................................................................................................................... 31
5. Re e ências ....................................................................................... E o! Ma cado não de inido.
ANNEXES ............................................................................................................................................ 34
A. Documen s ............................................................................................................................ 34
1. Pu chase au ho iza ion email example ................................................................................ 34
2. Pu chase o de example ....................................................................................................... 36
3. Expense app o al eques (PAD) example ............................................................................ 37
4. Commi men documen example ......................................................................................... 39
5. Budge a y app oach documen example ............................................................................. 40

i
LIST OF FIGURES:
Figu e 1 – Me hodology ou line .............................................................................................................. 2
Figu e 2 - NOVA IMS O ganiza ion Cha ................................................................................................ 4
Figu e 3 - NOVA IMS Financial Se ices Cha ......................................................................................... 5
Figu e 4 - BPM Li e Cycle ......................................................................................................................... 7
Figu e 5 - Magic Quad an o In elligen Business P ocess Managemen Sui es ................................ 12
Figu e 6 – Mac op ocess ....................................................................................................................... 21
Figu e 7 - Goods and se ices acquisi ion p ocess ................................................................................ 22
Figu e 8 - School ee paymen s p ocess ................................................................................................ 23
Figu e 9 - Sala ies P ocess ..................................................................................................................... 24
Figu e 10 - In oice p ocessing p ocess .................................................................................................. 25
Figu e 11 - Bank econcilia ion p ocess ................................................................................................. 26
ii
LIST OF TABLES:
Table 1 - Business P ocesses No a ions .................................................................................................. 9
Table 2 - BPMN Elemen s No a ion ....................................................................................................... 11
Table 3 - Modeling ools Ad an ages .................................................................................................... 14
Table 4 - Financial P ocesses ................................................................................................................. 18
Table 5 - P ocess Ac o s ........................................................................................................................ 19
Table 6 - P ocess Sys ems ...................................................................................................................... 19
Table 7 - P ocess Documen s ................................................................................................................ 19
iii
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS
A3ES Agência de A aliação e Ac edi ação de Ensino Supe io
AI A i icial In elligence
BPM Business P ocess Managemen
BPMN Business P ocess Managemen No a ion
IDEF In eg a ion DEFini ion
OCR Op ical Cha ac e Recogni ion
RPA Robo ic P ocess Au oma ion
SaaS So wa e as a Se ice
UML Uni ied Modelling Language
1
1. INTRODUCTION
1.1. BACKGROUND
“O e he las decade, he e has been a shi om “da a-awa e” in o ma ion sys ems o “p ocess-
awa e” in o ma ion sys ems.” (Van de Aals , 2003). E e y o ganiza ion has business p ocesses om
he a ac ion o cus ome s un il he p oduc s deli e ed o he consume s. A business p ocess is a se
o ac i i ies ha needed o be comple ed in o de o achie e a goal o a ce ain ou pu . Fo example,
a business p ocess o a ca selling company in ol es ac i i ies as clien acquisi ion, p esen a ions o
p oduc s, he budge de ini ion and a lo mo e. All he ac i i ies a e linked and ch onological
o ganized and, in his example he inpu is he clien in o ma ion and he ou pu he sale.
Business P ojec Managemen (BPM) is nowadays used in many di e en a eas and cases bu wi h
he same p opose - imp o e p ocesses. The imp o emen may be di e en depending on he
objec i es, whe e he mos common a e educing cos s, e o s and educing execu ions imes. The
BPM is de ined by Na hadiel Palme (Palme , 2014) as a "mix u e o modeling, au oma ion,
execu ion, con ol, measu emen and op imiza ion o business ac i i y lows in sus enance ce ain
goals…”
Wi h BPM, he pa h o imp o ing p ocesses h ough au oma ion becomes clea . Au oma ion in ol es
a se o ools, p ocesses, and insigh s ha en i onmen s use o sel -modi y and adjus , and some
en e p ises ha e s a ed using in elligen au oma ion o d i e a new, mo e p oduc i e ela ionship
be ween people and machines. One au oma ion p ocess ha is widely used nowadays besides
A i icial In elligence is RPA – Robo ic P ocess Au oma ion. While he echnology was de eloping o
some ime be o e, he eme gence o he e m "Robo ic P ocess Au oma ion" can be da ed o ea ly
2000. (UiPa h, 2016)
1.2. STUDY OBJECTIVES
Conside ing he p oblem iden i ied be o e, he emphasis o his p ojec will be he modula ion and
analysis o he inancial p ocesses o NOVA IMS. The e o e, he goal is o modula e he exis ing
p ocesses, analyze, and iden i y which p ocesses can be imp o ed and in which way. Subsequen ly,
hese imp o emen s can esul in educed execu ion imes, cos s and esou ces.
To achie e his main goal some successi e objec i es a e:
 Unde s and he impo ance o BPM and Au oma ion inside a company/o ganiza ion.
 Iden i y he main p ocesses in he inancial en i onmen o NOVA IMS
 P ocess modeling in BMPN nomencla u e
 In es iga e he possible implemen a ion o new au oma ed p ocesses, as well as,
imp o emen o old ones.
8
P ocess edesign
Also denomina ed p ocess imp o emen , his s ep consis s in iden i y he changes ha can be done
o add ess he issues and achie e he desi ed pe o mance goals. This phase and he p e ious one
(p ocess analysis) a e done oge he since a e he new changes a e de ined, hey need o be
analyzed again. The ou come o his phase is a o-be p ocess model con aining he changes ha need
o be implemen ed.
P ocess Implemen a ion
In his phase, he changes equi ed o mo e om he as-is he o-be p ocess model a e pe o med. I
co e s wo aspec s which a e o ganiza ional managemen and p ocess au oma ion. The o me one
e e s o ac i i ies ha when implemen ed will change he way o wo k o all pa icipan s o he
p ocess. The second one consis s o he suppo o he o-be p ocess by IT sys ems (de eloped also in
his phase).
P ocess moni o ing
Once he edesign p ocess is unning new impo an da a is collec ed and all he pe o mance es s
a e made. E o s ha don’ i he desi ed objec i es a e iden i ied and co ec ed. This esul s in he
epe i ion o he BPM p ocess li e cycle.
2.1.3. P ocess modeling
Business p ocess models a e impo an a a ious phases o he BPM li e cycle. The e a e many
easons o model a p ocess, such as a simple unde s anding o he p ocess by he people in ol ed in
ha p ocess. (Dumas, La Rosa, Mendling, & Reije s, 2012)
Business p ocess modeling is a se o ac i i ies in ol ed in he c ea ion o business p ocess
ep esen a ions. The main pu pose is a comple e and easy o unde s and ep esen a ion o he
p ocesses. (ABPMP, 2013)The models can ha e di e en le els o de ails, om an abs ac ision o
a de ailed one. In e ms o con en , a p ocess model has di e en icons and lines ha ep esen
ac i i ies, e en s and o he elemen s o he p ocess as well as he connec ions be ween hose
elemen s.

9
Many no a ions can be used o ep esen a business p ocess as we can see in igu e 2.
No a ion
Desc ip ion
Flowcha s
Simple bu limi ed se o symbols
E en -d i en P ocess Chain
E en s become he igge s o a p ocess s ep
In eg a ed De ini ion Language 3
I p o ides a mechanism o collec ion and documen ing p ocesses
Ac i i y Diag ams
Technical no a ions o ien ed o he desc ip ion o in o ma ion
sys ems equi emen s
Business P ocess Model and
No a ion
G ea o ep esen ing a model o di e en a ge s
Table 1 - Business P ocesses No a ions
2.1.4. Business P ocess Model and No a ion
As de ined be o e he BPM is he combina ion o echniques ha allows he unde s anding, analysis,
and imp o emen o se ices and an e ec i e and e icien deli e y o business objec i es.
To exp ess he business p ocess modeling di e en ypes o no a ions can be used bu o his wo k
p ojec , he BPMN ( e sion 2.0) was selec ed since i p o ides a g aphical no a ion o ep esen ing
p ocesses in diag ams ha a e easy o unde s and by all he business use s bu a he same ime
p esen ing all he in o ma ion needed o he echnical use s. (Objec Managemen G oup)
The de elopmen o BPMN has oo s in o he no a ions including UML diag ams, IDEF, UML EDOC
Business P ocess, Ac i i y-Decision Flow Diag ams, …, which makes i easie o people o ansac
om / he p e ious no a ions o his new one. (Recke , Indulska, Rosemaan, & G een, 2005). Fo
example, S heephen Whi e (Whi e, 2004) compa ed he BPMN speci ica ion o UML ac i i y
diag ams and concludes om his in es iga ion ha BPMN is mo e in ui i e han UML.
BPMN is a s anda d c ea ed by he g oup Business p ocess Managemen Ini ia i e and was published
as a s anda d by he Objec Managemen G oup (OMG) in 2011 ha ing as he la es e sion he
BPMN 2.0. Acco ding o (ABPMP, 2013), BPMN i ’s a no a ion ha can p esen a p ocess model ha
can be in e p e ed by di e en a ge audience since i has he e sa ili y o modula e di e en
si ua ions o a p ocess, easy o unde s and e en wi h he as se o symbols and o he igu es.
BPMN modeling p esen s ou se s o di e en elemen s:
 Flow Objec s
 Connec ing objec s
 A i ac s
 Swimlanes
All hese elemen s a e lis ed and desc ibed in able 2.
10
Ca ego y
Elemen
Desc ip ion
No a ion
Flow
Objec s
E en
Some hing ha happens du ing
he p ocess and no mally has a
igge o impac on he esul .
The can be S a , in e media e o
end e en s.
Ac i i y
A ounded-co ne ec angle ha is
he gene ic wo k ha an
o ganiza ion pe o m
Ga eway
A diamond shape ha is used o
con ol he di e gence and
con e gen o he p ocess low. I s
mos ly used when decisions need
o be aken.
Connec ing
Objec s
Sequence
low
A solid line ha is used o show
he sequence o de o he p ocess
Message
low
A dashed line used o show he
low o messages be ween wo
di e en pa icipan s in he
p ocess
Associa ion
A do ed line used o associa e
da a, ex and o he a i ac s wi h
low objec s.
Swimlanes
Pool
Rep esen s a pa icipan and ac s
as a con aine o he ac i i ies o
ha pa icipan
Lane
A sub-pa i ion wi hin he Pool
ha ex ends his leng h ei he
ho izon ally o e ically
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Ca ego y
Elemen
Desc ip ion
No a ion
A i ac s
Da a
Objec
Elemen s p oduced o necessa y
o he ac i i y
G oup
A ounded-co ne dashed line
ec angle ha can be used o
documen a ion o analysis
pu poses
Anno a ion
P o ides addi ional in o ma ion
o he eade o a BPMN Diag am
Table 2 - BPMN Elemen s No a ion
Sou ce: Based on (Whi e, 2004)
2.1.5. Modeling ools
To accomplish he s udy ca ied ou du ing he li e a u e e iew and hus ealize he cu en s a e o
he inancial p ocesses o No a IMS School, a model o he p ocesses in BPMN will be buil .
The e o e, he i s s ep o be aken is he selec ion o a ool ha enables an e icien and e ec i e
way o build his model and a he same ime allow a simpli ied analysis o i .
Since he e a e di e en ools on he ma ke , i was necessa y o sea ch, analyze and e alua e a se
o ools o choose he one ha bes i s ou s udy p ocess.
The ollowing analysis and compa ison is based on a s udy conduc ed by Ga ne , a esea ch and
ad iso y company, wi h he objec i e o p o ide leade s ac oss he en e p ise wi h he c ucial
business insigh s, ad ice and ools hey need o achie e hei mission and build hei u u e
o ganiza ion. (Ga ne , 2019)
12
Figu e 5 - Magic Quad an o In elligen Business P ocess Managemen Sui es
Sou ce: Magic Quad an o In elligen Business P ocess Managemen Sui es (Ga ne , 2019)
Popula selec ed ools o his p ojec a e Appian BPM Sui , IBM Business Au oma ion Wo k low;
O acle BPM S udio; Bizagi P ocess Modele and K2.
2.1.5.1. Appian BPM Sui :
Appian BPM Sui , om Appian, allows he c ea ion o p ocesses, d awing inspi a ion om he a ious
BPMN ools and combining hem wi h low code (d ag and d op) unc ions. I consis s in a highly
capable sui o ools ha includes p ocess modelling, Ui design and decision design. This solu ion
e en allows use s o op imize hei communica ion wi h pa ne s, ha means i s easy use. “The
Appian pla o m allows en e p ises o dynamically al e p ocesses o ongoing p ocess imp o emen
and suppo s in elligen business p ocesses ha suppo business ans o ma ion”. (Ga ne , 2019)
13
2.1.5.2. IBM Business Au oma ion Wo k low:
IBM Business Au oma ion Wo k low, om IBM, “is so wa e ha combines business p ocess
managemen and case managemen capabili ies in o a single in eg a ed wo k low solu ion”. (O acle,
2020) One o he big ad an ages o his ool is he enhanced decision making by using buil -in
isibili y, ha allows he iden i ica ion o he bes p ac ices o esol e and imp o e e e y case. I also
has a cloud e sion ha suppo he same capabili ies as he s anda d op ions and is hos ed and
managed by IBM in i s IMB Cloud da a cen e s.
2.1.5.3. O acle BPM S udio:
O acle BPM S udio is a componen o he O acle BPM Sui e, c ea ed by O acle. I suppo s BPMN 2.0
and BPEL allowing he c ea ion o p ocess-based applica ions and model business p ocesses. Since i
p o ides a web-based applica ion o c ea ing business p ocesses, edi ing O acle Business Rules, and
ask cus omiza ion using p ede ined componen s, i can be used by analys s and de elope s. (O acle,
2018).
2.1.5.4. Bizagi P ocess Modele :
The Bizagi P ocess Modele is an applica ion ha allows he c ea ion o wo k lows and p ocess
models using he BPMN 2.0 no a ion. I joins he IT wi h he business because o he g ea use -
iendly and simple in e ace and he use o d ag and d op p ope ies. (Bizagi, 2018)
This applica ion app oaches he ma ke in di e en way, using i s ocus on easy usabili y and ee
usage business model as a majo poin o in e es o he consume s.
Acco ding o Ga ne and Bizagi use s, his applica ion has highes a e age cus ome sa is ac ion
sco es because o i s well- ounded usabili y and expe ience.
2.1.5.5. K2:
“K2 p o ides end- o-end capabili ies ha enable you o build you mos complex business
applica ions wi h li le- o-no code.” (K2, 2020)
The main capabili ies o K2 solu ion is he d ag and d op wo k low design, collabo a ion be ween
de elope s and business eams using ea u e- ich o ms and, because o i s ela ionship wi h
Mic oso , allows he in eg a ion wi h much o Mic oso se ices such as O ice 365 and Powe BI.

14
A e he analysis o di e en ools and mo e speci ically hose men ioned abo e, in he ollowing
able we can see he summa y o he g ea es ad an ages o each one, based on Ga ne ’s analys s’
s udies. As a esul o his able we can ge a holis ic iew o all he ools.
Tools
Ad an ages
Appian BPM Sui
Pla o m wi h a s ong pe o mance ac oss all c i e ia;
High use sa is ac ion wi h he o e all pla o m expe ience.
IBM Business Au oma ion
Wo k low
Consis en web-based design;
Pa o a collec ion o ools ha can all be in eg a ed o a
uni ied expe ience.
O acle BPM S udio
S ong analy ical capabili ies;
Dynamic o ches a ion o business p ocesses;
Can also be used wi h he OIC (O acle In eg a ion Cloud, o a
b owse -based expe ience.
Bizagi P ocess Modele
F eemium so wa e;
Easy o use;
Popula be ween i s ma ke niche;
F ee access o comp ehensi e sel - aining cou ses.
K2
Easy collabo a ion be ween business and p o essional
de elope s using Sma o ms;
Mic oso pa ne ship allowing in eg a ions wi h Mic oso
p oduc s like O ice 365 and Powe BI;
Table 3 - Modeling ools Ad an ages
2.1.6. P ocess ans o ma ion
The goal is o ind he bes way he p ocess does i s wo k, i can mean simple hings as new
equipmen o mo e complex hings as new business app oaches. I can be ha d o implemen and
c ea e discom o o he adi ional mindse membe s, bu i all can be a enua ed wi h p e en i e
measu es, o example, a g adual ans o ma ion (ABPMP, 2013)
Acco ding o ABPMP, he e a e se e al ways o apply sys ema ic ans o ma ion and imp o e he
p ocesses. The mos used and ha imp o e he p ocess con inuously a e Lean, Six Sigma and TQM;
Bu we also can use he p ocesses edesign; p ocesses eenginee ing, and o he s. Nex , acco ding o
ABPMP, he me hodologies ha imp o e p ocesses (Lean, Six Sigma and TQM) will be analyzed mo e
deeply since hey p eceded and inspi ed BPM.
15
Lean
O igina ed om he P oduc ion Toyo a Sys em, he main objec i e o Lean is o ob ain he igh
hings, o he igh place, in he igh ime and igh quan i y, o minimize he was e and be open o
changes (ABPMP, 2013). I iden i ies se en was es in he alue chain: o e p oduc ion, in en o y,
wai ing- ime, anspo a ion, p ocessing, mo ion, and sc ap.
The key p inciples o his way o hinking a e:
 Pe ec quali y he i s ime – chase o he ze o de ec s;
 Was e minimiza ion by elimina ing ac i i ies ha don’ gene a e alue;
 Maximiza ion o he esou ce’s usage;
 Con inues imp o emen ;
 Pull p ocessing: p oduc s and se ices a e eques ed by clien s
 Flexibili y
 Building and main aining a long- e m ela ionship sha ing supplie s h ough collabo a i e
sha ing o isks, cos s as well as in o ma ion sha ing a angemen s.
Six Sigma
Six Sigma is a p ocess imp o emen app oach de eloped by Mo o ola, in he mid-1980s, whe e he
e o s a e o ien a ed o achie e pe ec ion in ope a ions (Neubaue , 2009). I elays on ac s and
s a is ic da a o elimina e any de ec s in any p ocess since i s manu ac u ing o adi ional and om
p oduc o se ice (ABPMP, 2013). A de ec is de ined as any hing ou side o cus ome speci ica ions.
Achie ing a Six Sigma le el o quali y means limi ing de ec i e pe o mance o 3.4 pe million
oppo uni ies (Mon es & Molina, 2006). This app oach is no necessa ily applied alone and
some imes i blends wi h he Lean leading o he app oach known as Lean Six Sigma.
TQM
To al Quali y Managemen is a se o p ac ices o ensu e ha an o ganiza ion can sa is y o e en
exceed clien equi emen s. I is conside ed a p ecu so o Six Sigma and elies on he s a is ical
analysis o he da a o iden i y de ec s and imp o emen oppo uni ies. (ABPMP, 2013) This
app oach is p ima ily ound in manu ac u ing domains. (Dumas, La Rosa, Mendling, & Reije s, 2012)
16
2.2. ROBOTIC PROCESS AUTOMATION
P ocess au oma ion is one o he possible esul s a e a business p ocess has been analyzed and
iden i ied. “RPA does no eplace BPM, bu a he complemen s i .” (Willcocks, Laci y, & C aig, 2015)
RPA is a de eloping echnology, bu , as we jus b ie ly discussed, i s ill elies on he echnologies o
a i icial in elligence, sc een sc aping, and wo k low au oma ion and ele a es hese echnologies o a
new le el, ad ancing hei capabili ies in a signi ican ly imp o ed way. Deloi e sugges s ha
“Robo ic P ocess Au oma ion (RPA) is he applica ion o echnology allowing employees in a
company o con igu e compu e so wa e o a ‘ obo ’ o eason, collec and ex ac knowledge,
ecognize pa e ns, lea n and adap o new si ua ions o en i onmen s.”
Al hough he e m “Robo ic p ocess au oma ion “sugges s physical obo s doing o ice asks no mally
did by humans i is a so wa e-based solu ion. IRPAAI (Ins i u e o Robo ic P ocess Au oma ion and
A i icial In elligence) de ines RPA as a echnology ha allows he employees o a company o
con igu e a so wa e ( obo ) o u ilize exis ing applica ions om p ocessing and manipula ing da a, as
well as, communica e wi h o he digi al sys ems. All o his is done wi hou any human in e ac ion.
RPA ools can ange om solu ions ha ope a e simple and indi idual compu e s o ones ha
ope a e in he en e p ise se e and ha e wide con ac wi h he in o ma ion o a company. They can
be applied o di e en domains, o example, banking, inance, insu ance, heal hca e, and legal
se ices. RPA ools a e c ea ed o imi a e he same manual pa hs aken by a human, by using a
combina ion o use in e ace in e ac ion. (Ga ne , 2018)
Ga he , conside he main ad an ages o his ool he cos s and ime-consuming educ ion, inc ease
accu acy, compliance imp o emen and ime-consuming educ ion.
Using BPM, we can iden i y he bes business p ocesses o au oma e ha , acco ding o Accen u e,
a e ule-based and no dependen on human judgmen , ini ia ed by a digi al igge , wi h a high
olume o execu ions and s abile.
17
F om E nes & Young expe ience, he e a e i e key aspec s i al o he success ul RPA
implemen a ion:
 P ocess P io i isa ion: P ocesses c i ical o business and hei in e ac ion should be clea ly
unde s ood.
 Business and IT Accoun abili y: Business p ocess owne s mus eel accoun able o he
in ol emen o hei people in he RPA de elopmen and implemen a ion. They also should
be espec ul and ollow IT go e nance p o ocols.
 Design and Execu ion: Mo e quickly o p o e ha RPA concep s a e iable o he
au oma ion p ojec .
 S akeholde s engagemen : The alue o RPA mus be e ec i ely communica ed o all he
pe sons in ol ed in he p ojec bu also o he chie o ice s.
 Bene i s ealiza ion: con inuous imp o emen mechanisms should be p o ided. Regula
upda es a e essen ial o main ain he con idence o all s akeholde s
An a ea whe e he RPA is impo an o his wo k is Financial Se ices. EY (E ns & Young Accoun an s
LLP, 2016) e e s ha RPA is quickly e ol ing in inance unc ions since his is in cons an p essu e
and he majo challenges a e o sh ink cos s and suppo dec easing ma gins. Capgemini also adds
ha o ganiza ions ha a e inno a ing using RPA can d i e 25-50% cos sa ings, educing he la ency
and ge ing highe le els o p oduc i i y.
Some RPA solu ions mos used nowadays in he inancial a ea a e lis ed and analyzed below:
 Capgemini RPA Solu ion: Wi h an app oach ha helps inancial ins i u ions o de ine an RPA
oadmap, selec app op ia e ools, c ea e a pilo , se an ope a ing model, pe o m
go e nance, se up he igh eam and es he solu ion be o e launch. They gi e inancial
ins i u ions and insu ance companies a way o imp o e hei p ocesses.
 BlueP ism Digi al Wo k o ce ( inancial se ices): “Au oma es many o he p ocesses ha
hold inancial o ganiza ions back. Wi h wo ld-class secu i y, comp ehensi e audi ails and
non- epudia ion, Blue P ism is designed o mee he s ic secu i y and compliance needs o
he inancial se ices indus y.” (Bluep ism, s.d.)
 UIpa h en e p ise RPA pla o m: “UiPa h p o ides p ocess e iciency and lowe s cos s while
ensu ing egula o y compliance and deepe analy ical insigh . Implemen a ion wi h UiPa h is
as e and compe i i ely less expensi e han IT au oma ion p ojec s”. (UiPa h) Fo example,
he obo s can check incomes, expenses and o he da a om se e al da abases and p esen
i o he analys in eal- ime.
24
3.3.2.3. Sala ies p ocessing p ocess
Figu e 9 - Sala ies P ocess
As p esen ed in he igu e abo e, his p ocess ela es o he NOVA IMS employee’s sala y paymen .
I s a s wi h he human esou ces ha ing all he in o ma ion ega ding each employee's sala y,
which hen is inpu ed on he Sis ema Cen al de Ges ão, so i can be accessed by he inancial
se ices. Then, hey p ocess he sala ies and ela ed axes and send he inal in o ma ion o he
Uni e sidade No a de Lisboa ounda ion ha will pay he employees.

25
3.3.2.4. In oice p ocessing p ocess
Figu e 10 - In oice p ocessing p ocess
This subp ocess is ans e se o many p ocesses since i is necessa y e e y ime a ansac ion is
made. In his case, i appea s on he Goods and se ices acquisi ion p ocess. The main objec i e is o
p ocess he in oices and be su e ha he paymen happened. The p ocess s a s wi h he in oice
alida ion which gua an ees ha is he co ec one o be inse ed in he sys em. A e ha , i is
a ached o he PAD and sen o be app o ed one mo e ime be o e he paymen o he supplie .
26
3.3.2.5. Bank econcilia ion p ocess
Figu e 11 - Bank econcilia ion p ocess
The p ocess p esen ed in igu e 6 has he main objec i e o gua an ee ha e e y ansac ion has
been p ope ly made and ha he inal bank balance is co ec . Fi s ly, a eco d o e e y inancial
ansac ion made du ing a day is p epa ed. As he nex s ep, he e is a manual and de ailed analysis
o see i e e y ansac ion and alue is co ec . When inconsis encies a e ound hey a e in es iga ed
and i possible, he p ope co ec ions a e made.
27
3.4. PROPOSAL FOR IMPROVEMENTS
A e e iewing and analyzing he p ocesses p esen ed and, o e lec ha analysis in imp o emen s,
he nex sec ion o his p ojec wo k will explain which a e he main de iciencies and p opose
possible solu ions. The ocus would be au oma izing he p ocess wi h RPA solu ions, educing ime,
money and imp o e employee’s sa is ac ion and p oduc i i y.
Ano he poin o analysis will be he Sis ema Cen al de Ges ão. The NOVA IMS inancial se ices and
o he depa men s al eady ha e his cen e ed sys em whe e hey can, in a as way, sha e
in o ma ion. Howe e , i is no cu en ly being used a i s ulles po en ial.
Gene al imp o emen s o he p ocesses:
One conce n aised by D . Sil ia was he educed le el o pe sonnel esponsible o keep he inancial
se ices wo king. The cu en eam can gi e he esponse o he daily basis asks bu he e a e some
e en s du ing he yea ha o e load ha eam wi h wo k. Examples o hese e en s a e he
s uden s' ee paymen ime o wo ke aca ions. The hi e o a leas one mo e pe son can be seen
ini ially seen as an expense bu in a long- ime scena io, i would inc ease he quali y o he esul s,
he p oduc ion le el and o cou se he happiness and wellbeing o he employees.
Ano he lack, ha in his case, co ela es he sys em and he people, s a s wi h he ac ha he
sys em is a SaaS (So wa e-as-a-se ice) and so, a e implemen a ion, i has mul iple eleases
ega ding people’s needs. These ypes o solu ions as many ad an ages bu i is also needed o ake
in o conside a ion some disad an ages, o ins ance, he managemen o he use knowledge. On
NOVA IMS e e y ime he e is a new upda e, no all he use s a e no i ied and he e is no aining
ela ed o he upda es which educe wo ke s' knowledge abou he ool and inc ease he ime and
esou ces spen o do each ask.
The bes imp o emen o do ega ding his poin is o ha e sho wo kshops e e y ime a new
elease comes ou . Wi h his upg ade, no only he people will ha e mo e capaci y o daily basis
asks bu hey ha e a momen o be hea d ha esul s in a be e wo k en i onmen and also he
ga he ing o eedback ela ed o he sys em in use.
28
P ocess numbe
and name
C i ical analysis
P oposal o imp o emen s
P ocess 1 –
Se ices and goods
acquisi ion
a) Cu en ly, a NOVA IMS he
c ea ion o he PO is done
manually. An employee en e s he
sys ems, sea ch o he igh o de
and c ea es he PO.
This ask by i sel is simple bu
when he numbe o PO inc eases
i becomes mo e con using and a
sys ema ic ask ha can lead o
e o s.
b) As seen in he p ocess model
e e y ime an a ea o NOVA IMS
wan s o make a new pu chase, i
needs o send an email o he
au ho ize and jus a e he
au ho iza ion, he pu chase is sen
o he pa imonial a ea o be
inse ed in o he sys em. These
ac ions can lead o e o s and he
mos common a e he ailu e in
sending he email, loss o he email
in he middle o he numbe o
emails ecei ed du ing he day o
also send he email o he w ong
pe son.
a) Au oma ic PO c ea ion:
Wi h RPA he en i e p ocess om
c ea ing a pu chase eques o aising a
pu chase o de is done au oma ically.
The so wa e, ha would be in eg a ed
wi h he cu en sys em would
au oma ically ollow a wo k low seeking
app o al om he app o e and
p ocessing he eques o aise a PO.
A e ha , and i needed, he inancial
se ices employee can jus consul o
p in i o documen a ion eco ds. The
bene i s o his sugges ion a e educing
he ime by elimina ing a simple bu
ime-consuming ask.
b) Sys em u iliza ion a ully po en ial:
This segmen o he p ocess could be
a oided and imp o ed i e e y a ea has
i s accoun p o ile in he sys em and,
when a new pu chase wan s o be
made, i is immedia ely egis e ed in he
sys em. The au ho ize (di ec o o
adminis a o ) could also ha e p o iles
o au ho ize he o de di ec ly in he
sys em. Ins ead o using he email o
communica ion, ha has a high isk o
no being ecei ed o ead, all he
communica ions would be done in he
sys em ha also does he ollow-up
p ocess.
These imp o emen s would highly
educe ime and allow he cen aliza ion
o in o ma ion in one place, g an ing a
quick and o ganized access o i .
Addi ionally, i would allow he o he
pa icipan s in he p ocess o
unde s and be e who did he eques
and in which scope.
29
P ocess numbe
and name
C i ical analysis
P oposal o imp o emen s
P ocess 4 – In oice
p ocessing
a) The egis a ion o he in oice in
he sys em and consequen ly
a ach o he PO is also done
manually. This is a simple bu ime-
consuming ask ha could easily be
done au oma ically
a) Au oma ic in oice egis a ion:
Exploi ing obo ic au oma ion
p ocesses, any in oice ecei ed by pape
o email would be au oma ically
scanned, p ocessed wi h an OCR
echnology, egis e ed in he sys em,
and a ached o he PO. All he ac ions
au oma ically made would be sa ed in
logs o u u e audi s and possible e o s
solu ion.
Op ical Cha ac e Recogni ion, o OCR,
“is a echnology ha enables you o
con e di e en ypes o documen s,
such as scanned pape documen s, PDF
iles in o edi able da a”. (ABBYY, 2019)
This solu ion will educe he imes and
dec ease he p obabili y o e o s.
P ocess 5 – Bank
econcilia ion
a) In NOVA IMS bank econcilia ion
is a synonym o a ick-and- ie
me hod. All he ansac ions a e
analyzed and ma ch manually, a
p ocess ha akes a lo o ime and
esou ces.
a) Au oma ic back econcilia ion:
Wi h he u iliza ion o RPA solu ion, all
he p ocesses could be au oma ed. Fo
example, (Quidjes , 2019) says ha you
can au oma ically impo bank
s a emen in o ma ion and h ough
ma ching c i e ia de ined by he use ,
cash mo emen s a e easily econciled
wi h bank mo emen s h ough an
au oma ic sugges ion. This p ocess
would dec ease d as ically he ime
spen on his ask and a oid he mos
common sou ce o e o s – he human.

30
4. CONCLUSIONS
Knowing ha echnology is inc easingly p esen in ou days, we mus be able o use i o imp o e ou
daily asks. The o ganiza ions a e mainly he ones ha use he echnology, applying i in hei
depa men s, o de elop and e ol e hei ac i i ies, hus aiming o ob ain all he bene i s i p o ides.
An example o using his echnology is he BPM me hodology. The Business P ocess Managemen
me hodology has been ac i ely implemen ed in public and educa ional o ganiza ions esul ing in a
no iceable imp o emen in he se ices ha hey p o ide, as demons a ed in he a ious documen s
used and e e enced in his documen . Because i is a simple language i is unde s andable o
e e yone in ol ed in he p ocess om analys s o p og amme s, and hus leads o a posi i e syne gy
o de elopmen . This s udy also p o ed o be an essen ial ool o unde s anding he p ocesses
analyzed and so c ea ing alue o hem.
Wi h he c ea ion o p ocess diag ams, we we e able o immedia ely in e some ewe e ec i e
p ac ices and he imp o emen s needed o econs uc hem. Bizagi Modele so wa e has p o ed o
be an excellen wo king ool. Wi h he main bene i s o being simple, easy o unde s and and
o e ing di e en expo possibili ies, i becomes a g ea ally in p ocess modeling.
I was e y in e es ing o apply his knowledge o he speci ic case o No a In o ma ion Managemen
School's inancial se ices. E en hough i is an in o ma ion managemen school some o i s daily
p ocesses we e s ill ca ied ou manually and wi h he need o use di e en sys ems and esou ces o
ensu e hei luidi y. I was ealized ha p ocesses such as bank econcilia ion o e-mail exchanges
o app o al o a pu chase o de could use au oma ion o become as e , less expensi e, and ee up
o college employees who can ocus on mos impo an asks.
Wi h his p ojec only in ended o modula e he inancial p ocesses and analyze possible
imp o emen s u u e wo k could add ess hese imp o emen s, seek hei p ac ical implemen a ion,
and implemen hem hus o e ing NOVA IMS a ool o in e nal e olu ion.
31
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5. Budge a y app oach documen example

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