Power Automate RPA in 2025–2026: What’s New and What It Means for Buyers

In 2025–2026, the biggest shift is not flashy bot demos. It’s the move from “I built an automation” to “I can prove it works, I can control changes, and I can scale it safely.” Buyers are pushing for measurable savings, cleaner handoffs between teams, and fewer fragile automations that break when a screen changes. That pressure is shaping product roadmaps and vendor selection criteria.

What’s new in the product direction

Recent platform roadmaps show a clear focus on three areas: saving visibility, stronger desktop automation engineering, and process mining depth. For example, planned features include built-in ways to quantify time and money saved, tighter integration between process mapping and mining, and richer analysis methods like object-centric process mining. Desktop automation updates also point to better engineering controls such as version control, plus reliability improvements like controlling browsers without extensions. 

Why these changes matter more than new “actions”

Buyers used to judge tools by the size of the connector library or how fast a bot could be built. In 2025–2026, the bigger buying question is: “Can we run this like a real product?” Version control and structured variable handling reduce the risk of accidental changes. Extensionless browser control can reduce breakage caused by browser updates or policy restrictions. Savings quantification helps automation leaders defend budgets with numbers instead of anecdotes. 

A practical lens from healthcare revenue cycle work

Healthcare revenue cycle is a useful reality check because it mixes high volume work, strict compliance, and many handoffs. Common automation targets include eligibility checks, claims submission, billing, denial handling, and data movement across systems. One case example cited a 60% reduction in claims processing time, and another saw a 70% reduction in manual tasks for payment posting and inquiry handling. These outcomes are a good benchmark for what “good” looks like when the process is stable and well chosen. 

What buyers should ask for in evaluations

Treat the tool selection like an operations decision, not a software feature checklist. Ask how the platform supports change control, environment separation, and audit trails. Ask what happens when data is messy or when exceptions spike. Ask how process discovery ties back to actual automation work, so mining outputs don’t become unused reports. Also validate compliance fit for your industry, because automation can amplify both efficiency and mistakes if governance is weak. 

How to interpret the release cadence

Desktop automation components show frequent releases through 2025 and into early 2026, which is good for capability growth but raises a buyer responsibility: you need a controlled update plan. A fast cadence helps fix issues and add functions, but unmanaged upgrades can also change runtime behavior. Put testing, packaging, and rollback into your operating model from day one. 

What it means for shortlisting and cost

In 2025–2026, the value story is moving toward governed scale: fewer bot failures, faster recovery, clearer savings reporting, and stronger process insight. The right purchase is the one that helps you build a sustainable automation program, not just a few quick wins. If your goal is robotic process automation rpa, prioritise proof of savings, engineering controls, and process intelligence depth over surface-level ease of building.