Automation makes a good process faster and a messy process messier. Answer ten yes-or-no questions and you'll know which side you're on, and what to do next.
The short lesson
- Why it matters
- Automation speeds up whatever process you already have. A messy process, sped up, is just a faster mess.
- Common mistake
- Buying a tool first and figuring out the process second. Write the steps down, then decide what to automate.
- Next step
- If you land on 'ready', pick the single most repetitive task and automate only that.
What's inside
- Ten honest questions about how work actually flows
- A result with specific next steps
- Nothing to sign up for
- 01
Someone does the same task by hand every week, such as a report, a reminder, or copying data between tools.
- 02
You can describe that task step by step, and two different people would do it the same way.
- 03
The tools involved are ones you expect to keep using for at least the next year.
- 04
The information in those tools is mostly accurate: names, phone numbers, job statuses.
- 05
You know which task costs you the most when it's late or wrong.
- 06
One specific person will own the automation once it's running.
- 07
The task follows clear rules (if this, then that) rather than needing fresh judgment every time.
- 08
If it stopped working, someone would notice within a day.
- 09
If it contacts customers, you have their permission to message them and a way for them to opt out.
- 10
You can spare about an hour to help test it before it goes live.
Answer all ten to see your result.
How to use it
Answer for how things work today, not how they should work. A "no" isn't a failure. It's a to-do item, and the result lists the ones that matter most.