Stuck on Manual in 2025?
(Is this your company?)
Nobody likes doing the same stuff over and over. Humans are supposed to have a higher purpose than punching numbers into SAP GUI, right? While every company would agree with this on paper, how many actually provide their workers with tools to automate routine activities?
The tools have been available for a long time. For example, this post about accessing BAPIs from Excel via VBA is dated 2008. GuiXT existed since the ’90s and SAP GUI scripting has its own community page. The star of early 2000s Winshuttle might have been living in RPA’s shadow lately, but it used to be the envy of all business users - everybody loves Excel!
And speaking of RPA, there is no shortage of that either. SAP’s artist formerly known as iRPA, UiPath, MS Power Automate - you name it. Everyone who’s anyone has some RPA tool.
Then why, in 2025, do we not only lack flying cars but also have business users asking on Reddit how to automate their work? There are obvious reasons like licensing costs, setup complexity and access management. But some factors might not be so clear.
We seem to be perpetually waiting for the next great tool. You’re probably reading this and thinking, "Who needs RPA when AI agents are going to solve everything for us very soon?" But then nothing ever gets automated, not with RPA, not with AI. It’s as if "a bird in the hand" doesn’t apply to technology.
The impact on individuals is underrated. There is expectation for many users to be affected before anyone looks at automation because it looks impressive for the shareholders (X hours per Y users = profit!). But there are always small groups with tedious specialized tasks that are not less important. Automation doesn’t have to always be “go big or go home”. The tools suited for individual users can coexist with enterprise-wide solutions.
Most importantly, successful automation - of any size - requires IT and business to work together. It requires trust and a willingness to accept less-than-perfect outcomes (see MVP :) ). If you want any chance at automating routine work and improving UX, start the conversation. Preferably not on Reddit. JP
