The Challenge

A central government agency was struggling to process a high volume of complex licence applications within required timeframes. The application processing unit was under significant pressure, leading to several operational challenges:

• Performance targets were regularly missed due to the volume and complexity of applications
• Case quality was affected as teams worked at pace to keep up with demand
• High staffing costs were required to manage largely manual, repetitive processes

As part of a wider transformation programme, the agency wanted to introduce new technology to create a more sustainable and efficient operating model. The aim was to reduce manual effort, improve customer experience and increase data quality, while continuing to meet regulatory obligations.

RedRock was already supporting the agency through a Managed Professional Service, with a team of over 100 specialists delivering transformation initiatives across the organisation. Based on the performance and reliability of these teams, RedRock was asked to extend its support to help modernise the licence application process.

 

Our Approach

All RedRock Managed Professional Service engagements are underpinned by three core principles:

• Client enablement
• Teams of excellence
• Impartial advice

The engagement was overseen by a RedRock Portfolio Director, who worked closely with senior agency stakeholders to agree outcomes, monitor progress and ensure delivery stayed aligned to business priorities.

Early engagement with staff within the licence processing unit was critical. RedRock helped reframe Robotic Process Automation (RPA) as a tool designed to support people, not replace them. By automating repetitive and rules-based tasks, RPA could free staff to focus on higher-value, judgement-based work.

Through this discovery work, RPA was identified as the most effective way to improve case throughput. Virtual workers were designed to replicate how staff interact with systems, apply business rules and move applications through defined process stages.

 

Our Solution

RedRock provided a blended team of specialists who worked alongside the agency’s in-house teams, including:

• A Business Architect to lead design and translate complex processes into technical solutions
• Two Business Analysts to capture requirements and support delivery
• A Project Manager responsible for milestones, budgets and vendor coordination

RedRock developed a robust business case and benefits realisation plan, supporting the agency through internal approvals, including the investment board and parent department.

Delivery followed a structured, phased approach:

• Business case development – defining costs, benefits and success measures
• Pilot implementation – testing RPA on around 10% of application volumes
• Full-volume validation – completing final checks using live, end-to-end processing
• Enhancement – extending capability to handle exceptions and more complex case types

The solution was built using cloud-only principles, with Thoughtonomy selected as the most suitable RPA platform to handle the complexity and scale of the process. The RPA capability was integrated across multiple systems and designed to manage different product types, submission formats and processing stages.

A key focus throughout was knowledge transfer. RedRock upskilled agency staff to ensure internal teams could operate, maintain and extend the RPA solution independently after the engagement ended.

 

The Outcome

To ensure benefits were clearly measured, RedRock designed a performance dashboard as part of the RPA solution. Since implementation, the agency has seen significant and measurable improvements, including:

• Increased throughput, with efficiency improvements of between 30% and 95%
• Reduced rework, cutting processing effort by around 50%
• Substantial capacity gains, delivering between three and ten times more throughput
• Faster execution, with like-for-like processing speeds improved by up to 30%
• Resource savings, equivalent to six full-time roles redeployed to higher-value activities
• Improved user experience for applicants and internal users
• Positive return on investment achieved within two years
• Sustainable capability, with internal teams fully trained to manage the solution

This programme delivered the first successful operational use of high-complexity RPA within central government. As a result, the agency renewed its contract with Thoughtonomy and began expanding the use of RPA across other areas of the organisation.

RedRock also established a cross-agency working group to share learning and build momentum. This included showcase events for senior leaders, as well as knowledge-sharing sessions with other government departments to promote best practice in RPA delivery.

Following the success of the engagement, RedRock is in ongoing discussions with the agency to provide further support on additional RPA initiatives.