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Practical advice
Write the process before you automate it
Turn an informal way of working into clear steps so an automation does not make existing confusion move faster.
The practical answer
Start with this principle
Automation needs a stable process. If two people complete the same job differently, agree the intended steps and exceptions before connecting any tools.
Do this in order
Three steps you can use today
Observe the work as it happens
Follow one real item from start to finish and record the trigger, actions, decisions, data used and final output.
Separate rules from judgement
Mark the steps that always follow the same rule and the moments that need human experience. Automate the rules first.
Agree the exceptions
List the situations that should stop or divert the automation. Give each exception a named person and a clear next action.
Copy and adapt
Process write-up template
Process name: ................................................
Starts when: .................................................
Ends when: ...................................................
Owner today: .................................................
Steps as they actually happen:
1. ...................................... Who: ...... System: ......
2. ...................................... Who: ...... System: ......
3. ...................................... Who: ...... System: ......
Where it goes wrong: .........................................
What we do when it does: .....................................
If you cannot fill in "ends when" and "owner today", the process is not ready
to automate yet.