Choosing what to automate
Choosing What to Automate First
How to find the process where automation will help most, with the least risk, and how to describe it. The first choice shapes how the whole business feels about automation afterwards.
Why the First Choice Matters
A first project that works builds confidence and teaches the business how automation behaves. A first project that struggles can put people off for years, even when the idea was sound. The choice of process matters more than the choice of technology.
Make a List Before Choosing
Ask the people who do the work which tasks they repeat most, which they find tedious, and which go wrong. Their answers are usually different from what managers expect. Aim for a list of ten or more candidates before choosing one.
Four Things to Measure for Each Candidate
The best first candidates are frequent, slow, error-prone and low-risk. A task that is tedious but forgiving is a better start than one that is critical, even if the critical one would save more.
Signs a Process Is Ready
Signs a Process Is Not Ready Yet
When a process is not ready, the useful step is usually to tidy it first: agree the steps, write down the rules, put the information in one place. That often brings benefits on its own.
Describe It as It Really Happens
Write the process down step by step as it is done today, including shortcuts and exceptions, not as the procedure manual says. Note who does each step, how long it takes, what information is used and where it waits. Include real examples. This description is the single most valuable input to any automation project.
We start with a free, no-obligation process audit of one workflow.
Start Small, Then Grow
Automate one part of one process first, even if the whole process is the goal. Run it, learn from the exceptions, and widen it only when results are steady. Small steps are easier to check, easier to undo and easier for staff to trust.
Avoid These Traps
Once a candidate is chosen, write down how it really runs today, step by step.
Mapping the Candidate Process
Once a candidate is chosen, write down how it really runs today, step by step. Include who does each step, what information they use and what they do when something is unusual. The written version is often different from the official procedure, and the differences matter.
Walk through the process with the people who do it. Watch a few real cases from start to finish rather than relying on descriptions. Small details, such as a check someone does from habit, can be the most important part of the process to preserve.
Estimating the Value Honestly
Value comes from time saved, errors avoided and faster responses, but each should be estimated conservatively. Include the time people will still spend on exceptions and reviews after automation. An honest estimate prevents disappointment and makes the eventual results more convincing.
Consider value beyond time. Some processes matter because mistakes in them upset customers or create compliance risks. Reducing those risks can be worth more than the hours saved, even if it is harder to measure.
Writing a Simple Brief
A short written brief keeps everyone aligned. It should state what the automated process will do, what it will not do, which cases go to a person and how success will be measured. A page or two is usually enough.
Share the brief with the people affected before any work starts. Their comments will reveal cases the brief missed and concerns that need addressing. Agreement at this stage saves arguments and rework later.
Deciding What Comes Next
After the first process has run for a while, review what was learned. Note which estimates were right, which were wrong and what surprised the team. Those lessons make the next choice faster and more accurate.
Keep the candidate list alive. As the business changes, new candidates appear and old ones become more or less attractive. Reviewing the list every few months keeps automation focused on what matters most now.
Talk It Through with Us
We start with a free, no-obligation process audit of one workflow. It looks at how the work is done today, where time is lost and which parts should stay with a person. The result is a clear picture of whether automation makes sense, and where to begin.