The challenge
HR Huset, a leading provider of HR services, handles payroll administration for a large number of clients. The manual payroll reporting process was both time-consuming and repetitive, equivalent to at least one full-time position each month.
Their payroll management system, Agda PS, is a classic Win32 application hosted in a Citrix environment. This meant that HR Huset lacked both direct access to the application and the ability to use server-side APIs. This limitation made traditional automation impossible and required a new approach.
The solution
Ways developed a fully automated process based on Power Automate Desktop and Power Automate Pro. Since Agda was running in a Citrix session – where UI elements are not readable – the solution was built entirely on technologies that work at the image level and via keyboard/mouse interaction. The main components included:
- Image Recognition: Features such as Find Image on Screen, Click Image and Wait for Image were used to locate and interact with buttons and icon objects in the Citrix window.
- Keyboard control: With Send Keys and Set Focus on Window, the flow navigated through the application with keyboard shortcuts and tabs.
- Mouse automation: The combination of Move Mouse to Image and click functions ensured that the right elements were activated even when the UI was static or lacked identifiable elements.
- Robust error handling: Retry loops, condition checks, and image verification were built in to ensure stability, even when screen images varied or Citrix performance shifted.
Once the reports are automatically generated in the Citrix environment, they are saved directly in each customer’s SharePoint site – adapted to HR Huset’s work processes and designed for smooth information sharing between HR Huset and their customers. The result was a secure, structured and fully automated reporting flow without manual steps.
The result
- Time savings: Automation freed up over one full-time position each month.
- Efficiency: Reporting is now fast, accurate and completely manual-free.
- Customer benefit: Customers can access their reports directly via SharePoint, improving transparency and collaboration.
- Scalability: The solution is flexible and can be easily adapted for more customers and new reporting requirements.
With this solution, HR Huset has moved from a cumbersome administrative process to a modern, automated work model that saves time and increases customer satisfaction.