Collaboration
Collaboration is the CPRSA domain that tests whether you can move a robotics solution through business, IT, platform, and operations stakeholders without losing requirements or ownership.
Who needs what
Business SMEs supply process detail, exception examples, and acceptance criteria. Use process maps and an exception matrix, not UI jargon. IT supplies access, service accounts, environment details, application versions, and change windows; involve them before build, not at deployment. The Pega Platform team owns case types, work queues, and Robot Manager configuration; agree on the work item schema and status values. Operations needs a runbook, monitoring, and an escalation path for failed work items.
Make handoffs explicit
Treat the PDD and SDD as a shared contract and get sign-off at milestones. In Agile delivery, size backlog items by automation, demo with realistic data, and run UAT scripts with business users. Establish a change-notification path for UI updates and keep a regression suite. Governance roles, such as a Center of Excellence, should own risk, audit, and reuse decisions.
Worked example
A business sponsor asks to 'automate the entire onboarding process.' Decompose it: data entry into HR and payroll systems is rule-based and structured; approval and negotiation need judgment; document collection uses unstructured input. Agree to automate data entry and notifications, keep approval human, and document exceptions. IT provides a sandbox and service account; the Pega Platform team defines work item fields; UAT covers 20 real cases. Reasoning: scope agreement and explicit handoffs prevent late rework and false promises.
Traps
- Treating the SME workshop as a one-way requirements handoff.
- Leaving exception ownership undefined.
- Involving IT only at deployment.
- Not agreeing work item granularity with the platform team.
- Promising full automation before scope is decomposed.