IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/ijoais/v51y2023ics1467089523000337.html

Prototyping and implementing Robotic Process Automation in accounting firms: Benefits, challenges and opportunities to audit automation

Author

Listed:
  • Perdana, Arif
  • Lee, W. Eric
  • Mui Kim, Chu

Abstract

Despite the advancements in technology, auditors still spend a significant amount of time performing repetitive and rule-based tasks. Our paper examines various audit scenarios within four accounting firms and discusses the potential for robotic process automation (RPA) to improve the efficiency and accuracy of these tasks. We propose and implement RPA-enabled solutions to make various procedures more efficient and effective. These anecdotes were based on our consultancy experiences with auditors from a group of Big 4 and mid-sized accounting firms. We present four practical business process scenarios and the prototyped RPA solutions. In each scenario, we explain our automation strategies and the duration of development. We also describe the implementation benefits and challenges, as well as analyze how we have helped the accounting firms automate their real-world audit tasks by providing the as-is and to-be Business Process Model and Notation that one can extend for future RPA development. Finally, we discuss the future challenges and opportunities regarding the broader implementation of RPA in accounting and audit tasks.

Suggested Citation

  • Perdana, Arif & Lee, W. Eric & Mui Kim, Chu, 2023. "Prototyping and implementing Robotic Process Automation in accounting firms: Benefits, challenges and opportunities to audit automation," International Journal of Accounting Information Systems, Elsevier, vol. 51(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ijoais:v:51:y:2023:i:c:s1467089523000337
    DOI: 10.1016/j.accinf.2023.100641
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1467089523000337
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.accinf.2023.100641?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to

    for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Huang, Feiqi & Vasarhelyi, Miklos A., 2019. "Applying robotic process automation (RPA) in auditing: A framework," International Journal of Accounting Information Systems, Elsevier, vol. 35(C).
    2. Frey, Carl Benedikt & Osborne, Michael A., 2017. "The future of employment: How susceptible are jobs to computerisation?," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 114(C), pages 254-280.
    3. Prasad, Acklesh & Green, Peter & Heales, Jon, 2014. "On governance structures for the cloud computing services and assessing their effectiveness," International Journal of Accounting Information Systems, Elsevier, vol. 15(4), pages 335-356.
    4. Plant, Olivia H. & van Hillegersberg, Jos & Aldea, Adina, 2022. "Rethinking IT governance: Designing a framework for mitigating risk and fostering internal control in a DevOps environment," International Journal of Accounting Information Systems, Elsevier, vol. 45(C).
    5. Prasad, Acklesh & Green, Peter, 2015. "Governing cloud computing services: Reconsideration of IT governance structures," International Journal of Accounting Information Systems, Elsevier, vol. 19(C), pages 45-58.
    6. Kokina, Julia & Blanchette, Shay, 2019. "Early evidence of digital labor in accounting: Innovation with Robotic Process Automation," International Journal of Accounting Information Systems, Elsevier, vol. 35(C).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Manuel García‐Nieto & Juan Manuel Ramón‐Jerónimo & Raquel Flórez‐López & María Segovia‐Villarreal, 2026. "The Impact of AI Automation, Blockchain and Big Data on Sustainability and Performance: A Management Control Perspective," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 34(1), pages 1463-1476, February.
    2. Kokina, Julia & Blanchette, Shay & Davenport, Thomas H. & Pachamanova, Dessislava, 2025. "Challenges and opportunities for artificial intelligence in auditing: Evidence from the field," International Journal of Accounting Information Systems, Elsevier, vol. 56(C).
    3. Zhiyi Liu & Kai Zhang & Hongyi Zhang, 2024. "A new era of financial services: How AI enhances investment efficiency," International Studies of Economics, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 19(4), pages 578-588, December.
    4. Isip Adrian, 2025. "The Impact Regarding the Use of Robotic Process Automation and Artificial Intelligence in Accounting Services Industry," Proceedings of the International Conference on Business Excellence, Sciendo, vol. 19(1), pages 122-137.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Emilio Abad-Segura & Mariana-Daniela González-Zamar, 2020. "Research Analysis on Emerging Technologies in Corporate Accounting," Mathematics, MDPI, vol. 8(9), pages 1-29, September.
    2. Fábio Albuquerque & Paula Gomes Dos Santos, 2023. "Recent Trends in Accounting and Information System Research: A Literature Review Using Textual Analysis Tools," FinTech, MDPI, vol. 2(2), pages 1-27, April.
    3. Bavaresco, Rodrigo Simon & Nesi, Luan Carlos & Victória Barbosa, Jorge Luis & Antunes, Rodolfo Stoffel & da Rosa Righi, Rodrigo & da Costa, Cristiano André & Vanzin, Mariangela & Dornelles, Daniel & J, 2023. "Machine learning-based automation of accounting services: An exploratory case study," International Journal of Accounting Information Systems, Elsevier, vol. 49(C).
    4. Vitali, Sonia & Giuliani, Marco, 2024. "Emerging digital technologies and auditing firms: Opportunities and challenges," International Journal of Accounting Information Systems, Elsevier, vol. 53(C).
    5. Knudsen, Dan-Richard, 2020. "Elusive boundaries, power relations, and knowledge production: A systematic review of the literature on digitalization in accounting," International Journal of Accounting Information Systems, Elsevier, vol. 36(C).
    6. Costa Diogo António da Silva & Mamede Henrique São & Mira da Silva Miguel, 2022. "Robotic Process Automation (RPA) Adoption: A Systematic Literature Review," Engineering Management in Production and Services, Sciendo, vol. 14(2), pages 1-12, June.
    7. Tailane Dias Rovaris & Fernanda da Silva Momo & Giovana Sordi Schiavi & Laura Bratkowski, 2025. "Adoption Of Robotic Process Automation in The Accounting Area by A Cooperative Credit System: Metrics and Motivators," Accounting and Management Information Systems, Faculty of Accounting and Management Information Systems, The Bucharest University of Economic Studies, vol. 24(3), pages 479-508, September.
    8. Marc Eulerich & Aida Sanatizadeh & Hamid Vakilzadeh & David A. Wood, 2024. "Is it all hype? ChatGPT’s performance and disruptive potential in the accounting and auditing industries," Review of Accounting Studies, Springer, vol. 29(3), pages 2318-2349, September.
    9. Hend Mohamed Naguib & Hossam Magdy Kassem & Abd El-Hamed Mostafa Abou Naem, 2024. "The impact of IT governance and data governance on financial and non-financial performance," Future Business Journal, Springer, vol. 10(1), pages 1-22, December.
    10. Alles, Michael, 2018. "Examining the role of the AIS research literature using the natural experiment of the 2018 JIS conference on cloud computing," International Journal of Accounting Information Systems, Elsevier, vol. 31(C), pages 58-74.
    11. repec:ami:journl:v:24:y:2024:i:3:p:479-508 is not listed on IDEAS
    12. Syaiful Anwar Mohamed & Moamin A. Mahmoud & Mohammed Najah Mahdi & Salama A. Mostafa, 2022. "Improving Efficiency and Effectiveness of Robotic Process Automation in Human Resource Management," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(7), pages 1-18, March.
    13. Ali, Ali & Warren, Derrick & Mathiassen, Lars, 2017. "Cloud-based business services innovation: A risk management model," International Journal of Information Management, Elsevier, vol. 37(6), pages 639-649.
    14. Roman Šperka & Michal Halaška, 2023. "The performance assessment framework (PPAFR) for RPA implementation in a loan application process using process mining," Information Systems and e-Business Management, Springer, vol. 21(2), pages 277-321, June.
    15. Karim, Danish & Audi, Marc & Ali, Amjad, 2026. "The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Shaping Skill Requirements within the Accounting Profession," MPRA Paper 129018, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    16. Favourate y Mpofu, 2023. "The application of Artificial Intelligence in external auditing and its implications on audit quality? A review of the ongoing debates," International Journal of Research in Business and Social Science (2147-4478), Center for the Strategic Studies in Business and Finance, vol. 12(9), pages 496-512, December.
    17. Asatiani, Aleksandre & Apte, Uday & Penttinen, Esko & Rönkkö, Mikko & Saarinen, Timo, 2019. "Impact of accounting process characteristics on accounting outsourcing - Comparison of users and non-users of cloud-based accounting information systems," International Journal of Accounting Information Systems, Elsevier, vol. 34(C), pages 1-1.
    18. Carmen Elena Stoenoiu, 2025. "Perspectives on the development of digital techniques and tools with implications for accounting and financial audit services," GATR Journals jfbr232, Global Academy of Training and Research (GATR) Enterprise.
    19. Loebbing, Jonas, 2018. "An Elementary Theory of Endogenous Technical Change and Wage Inequality," VfS Annual Conference 2018 (Freiburg, Breisgau): Digital Economy 181603, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    20. Basso, Henrique S. & Jimeno, Juan F., 2021. "From secular stagnation to robocalypse? Implications of demographic and technological changes," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 117(C), pages 833-847.
    21. Caroline Lloyd & Jonathan Payne, 2021. "Fewer jobs, better jobs? An international comparative study of robots and ‘routine’ work in the public sector," Industrial Relations Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 52(2), pages 109-124, March.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:ijoais:v:51:y:2023:i:c:s1467089523000337. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/international-journal-of-accounting-information-systems/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.