CompanyAutomation is best started where work repeats often and in the same way. The best first target is usually not the most impressive one. It is a small work step that interrupts other work and produces an easy-to-check result.
This guide helps you scope one workflow into something that can be implemented. You need a description of what happens now, where the work starts, when it is finished and when a person must take responsibility.
A one-page scope for a workflow that can be implemented and tested without replacing the whole way of working.
Find work that interrupts the day
Observe your work for a few days. Note tasks that start from the same event and end in almost the same result. Good candidates include copying data between systems, checking an incoming order or sending a standard notification.
Do not choose a task only because it is annoying. Check how often it repeats, how clear the rules are and what an error would cause.
Do this
- Record each repeated manual step for one week.
- Note how often it happens and what starts it.
- Choose work whose routine case can be described with one rule.
Define one clear start and finish
Write the start in one sentence, such as: a new approved order arrives. Then write the finished result: a delivery row exists and the responsible person has been notified. If either contains many alternatives, begin with the most common one.
List only the data needed for the routine case and name the system each item comes from.
Do this
- Name the triggering event.
- Name the finished, checkable result.
- List the required data and sources.
- Record who owns the work before and after automation.
Separate routine cases from exceptions
Automation does not need to solve everything. It should handle the routine case reliably and stop safely when data is missing or a rule is not met. A person who understands the situation handles the exception.
For each important exception, state why the work stopped, who is notified and where it continues after correction.
Check at least these
- Required data is missing or malformed.
- The same event appears to have arrived twice.
- The source system does not respond.
- An action requires approval.
Measure current work before building
Measure the baseline before changing anything: weekly volume, active time per case and how often work returns for correction. An observation-based estimate is enough.
Choose one main measure, even if shorter waiting time, fewer errors and clearer ownership also matter.
Do this
- Measure current volume and time.
- Choose one primary measure of success.
- Agree when to compare the result with the baseline.
Test with a small amount of real work
Start with limited data and keep the old process alongside it for a while. Check every result until routine cases and important exceptions behave as agreed.
Launch is complete only when someone owns monitoring, notices stopped work and reviews exceptions.
Check at least these
- Start with real but limited data.
- Compare the result with manual work.
- Record errors and their causes.
- Expand only when the agreed measure improves.
Checklist before continuing
- One triggering event is named.
- The finished result can be checked.
- Data and sources are documented.
- Exceptions have an owner and next step.
- The baseline and one success measure are recorded.