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Practical advice
Measure the task before you automate it
Create a small baseline so you can tell whether an automation removed work or only moved it somewhere else.
The practical answer
Start with this principle
You need a before picture to judge an automation honestly. Measure frequency, hands-on time, waiting time, error correction and the value of the people involved.
Do this in order
Three steps you can use today
Count a normal period
Track the task across at least one representative week. Avoid choosing an unusually quiet or busy period without marking it clearly.
Separate work from waiting
Record active staff time separately from time spent waiting for a reply or system. Automation may reduce one without changing the other.
Capture correction work
Include time spent finding mistakes, re-entering information and chasing missing details. This is often where a better process creates value.
Copy and adapt
Baseline measurement sheet
Task: ........................................................
Measured over: ....... working days
How many times did it happen? .......
Average minutes each time? .......
Who did it? .......
Total minutes across the period: .......
Baseline taken on: .......... By: ..........
Take this before you change anything. Without it you cannot tell whether the
automation helped, and you will end up arguing about it from memory.