Skip to content

CA Final · Financial Reporting · Accounting and Technology

Kaveri Textiles Ltd's finance team plans to introduce robotic process automation (RPA) bots to post routine vendor invoices into its ERP. The CFO asks which statement best describes a key control consideration for the accounting function when deploying the bots.

Bot credentials and change management should be governed like human user access, with logs of bot actions retained. Bots execute programmed rules, including faulty ones, so they need access controls, reviewed outputs and an audit trail like any other user posting entries in the accounting system.

  1. ABots need no access controls because they do not act as human users
  2. BBot credentials and change management should be governed like user access, with logs of the bot's actions retainedCorrect
  3. CBot outputs need not be reviewed because automation removes all processing errors
  4. DBot-posted entries are exempt from audit trail requirements

Explanation

RPA bots act with system credentials, so access rights, change management and activity logs must be controlled as for human users. Assuming that automation removes errors, or that bots are exempt from audit trail, is wrong because the bot executes the rules it is given, including faulty ones, and audit trail requirements apply to all entries.

Did you get it right without looking?

One question tells you little. A timed set on Accounting and Technology shows your real accuracy, how long you take and where you lose marks.

Practise Accounting and TechnologyFree diagnostic mock

More Accounting and Technology questions