Key Takeaways
- Automate the bottleneck, not the annoyance
- Every automation needs an owner
- The best automation is invisible
Automation is seductive. That repetitive task driving you crazy? Just automate it! But I've seen more automation projects fail than succeed—not because the technology failed, but because we automated the wrong thing.
Automate the Bottleneck
Not every manual process deserves automation. Focus on:
- Volume: How often does this happen?
- Impact: What's the cost of errors or delays?
- Stability: Will this process exist in 6 months?
A task you do once a month? Probably not worth automating. A task that blocks 50 people every day? That's your bottleneck.
Every Automation Needs an Owner
"Set it and forget it" is a myth. Automations break. Upstream systems change. Business rules evolve.
Before launching any automation, answer:
- Who monitors this?
- How do we know when it fails?
- Who updates it when requirements change?
The Best Automation is Invisible
If people have to think about your automation, you haven't finished. The goal isn't to build clever workflows—it's to remove friction so completely that the process disappears.
Test this by asking: "Could a new employee complete this process without knowing it's automated?" If yes, you've done it right.
Automation isn't about replacing people—it's about removing the repetitive work that keeps people from doing what they're actually good at.