BUSACT702 · Accounting Information Systems
Robotic Process Automation & Power Automate
This chapter of University of Auckland BUSACT 702 is where the AIS meets automation: what robotic process automation (RPA) is, where it fits in accounting, and how to design a flow in Microsoft Power Automate — triggers, actions, conditions, connectors and error handling. It directly feeds the individual RPA coursework report (an approximately 1,500-2,000 word business report designing an automation for one of the given scenarios), so the vocabulary here is the vocabulary the marker rewards.
What this chapter covers
- 01What RPA is: software that automates routine, rule-based business processes; why the profession is adopting it
- 02Trigger: the event that starts the automation (an email received, a file uploaded, a form submitted)
- 03Actions: the steps the flow performs (send an email, update SharePoint, request an approval)
- 04Conditions and loops: if/then branching and repetition to handle different cases and batches
- 05Connectors: the services a flow reaches into (SharePoint, Outlook, Teams, Excel, Forms, Dataverse)
- 06Data handling: what data is captured, where it is stored and how it moves through the flow
- 07Exceptions and error handling: missing data, a rejected approval, a system failure — and what the flow does about them
- 08Where RPA fits in the AIS: automating high-volume, rule-based accounting work while keeping controls intact; this is the basis of the 15%-style RPA report
Designing a Power Automate flow for invoice approval
- +1Trigger. 'When a new email arrives with an attachment' in the shared finance mailbox — the event that starts the flow (Outlook connector).
- +1Actions + data handling. Extract the invoice fields, save the PDF to a SharePoint library and write the captured data (supplier, amount, date) to an Excel or Dataverse table — defining what is captured, where it is stored and how it moves.
- +1Condition (if/then). If amount > $5,000 -> send an approval request to the manager (Approvals connector) and wait for the response; else -> auto-approve. Branch each outcome to record 'approved' or 'rejected'.
- +1Error handling. If a required field is missing or the approval is rejected or times out, notify the sender (or finance) and route the item to an exceptions list rather than letting the flow fail silently — closing the missing-data, rejected-approval and system-failure cases.
Key terms
- Robotic Process Automation (RPA)
- Software that automates routine, rule-based processes; in accounting it handles high-volume repetitive work, freeing staff for judgement-based tasks while controls are maintained.
- Trigger
- The event that starts an automated flow — for example an email arriving, a file being uploaded or a form being submitted.
- Action
- A step the flow performs once triggered, such as sending an email, updating a SharePoint list or requesting an approval.
- Condition
- An if/then decision in a flow that routes it down different paths (for example, over a dollar threshold -> require approval); loops repeat actions across items.
- Connector
- A link to an external service the flow uses — Outlook, SharePoint, Teams, Excel, Forms or Dataverse — through which it reads and writes data.
- Error handling
- The design that catches exceptions — missing data, a rejected approval, a system failure — and routes them for attention instead of letting the automation fail silently.
Robotic Process Automation & Power Automate FAQ
What is RPA and why is it in an accounting course?
RPA is software that automates routine, rule-based work. Accountants study it because the profession is automating high-volume tasks (like invoice processing), and accountants must be able to design, evaluate and control these automations — which is exactly what the RPA coursework asks.
What are the building blocks of a Power Automate flow?
A trigger starts it; actions do the work; conditions and loops handle branching and repetition; connectors link to services like Outlook and SharePoint; and error handling catches exceptions. Naming all of these is the core of the RPA report.
How is the RPA report marked?
As a business report designing an automation for a given scenario, weighted across process analysis, the Power Automate design (the largest slice), evaluation and critical thinking, and presentation and referencing. A working prototype and advanced features earn bonus credit. Confirm the exact rubric and weight on Canvas.
Can I use AI to write the RPA report?
Only within the stated rules. The RPA task permits generative AI provided you reference it with an appendix of prompts in APA-7 — but that policy is specific to this assessment, so confirm what is allowed for each task on Canvas. Sia can help you understand and structure the design; the submitted work and its integrity are your responsibility.
Exam move
Learn the six design elements — trigger, actions, conditions/loops, connectors, data handling, error handling — and practise sketching a flow for a realistic accounting scenario (invoice approval, expense claims, onboarding a supplier). For the report, structure it to the rubric: a tight scenario summary, a clear process analysis, a detailed Power Automate design (the heaviest-weighted part), a genuine evaluation, and clean APA-7 referencing including any AI-prompt appendix. Build a working prototype if you can — it earns bonus credit. Confirm the exact rubric, word count and AI policy on Canvas.
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