Automation
Getting started
The first workflow you automate should be boring.
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10 min read
Every team we meet wants to start with the exciting idea: the agent that answers customers, the model that predicts demand. We almost always talk them out of it — at least for the first project.
Boring means well understood
A boring process is one where everyone already agrees how it should go. Nobody debates the steps. There are few exceptions, and when they happen, someone knows what to do.
It happens at least weekly, ideally daily.
The inputs live in tools you already use.
A mistake is annoying, not catastrophic.
Automation rarely fails because the technology is hard. It fails because nobody agreed how the work should go.
The Tuesday question
We ask every team the same thing: what did you do last Tuesday that you also did the Tuesday before? The answers are rarely glamorous — copying order details into an invoice, chasing approvals, building the same report — and that is exactly the point.
Why exciting projects stall
The exciting idea usually touches five systems, three teams and a long list of judgement calls. Each of those is a place where the project waits for a decision. Two months in, the demo still works — and nothing is live.
A boring workflow has one owner, a handful of steps and an obvious finish line. It ships in weeks, not quarters, and shipping is what builds trust.
What boring buys you
A clear before-and-after number you can show the whole team.
Fewer edge cases, so less time spent on rules nobody uses.
A first win people actually notice in their week.
None of this is glamorous. All of it makes the second project easier to approve and faster to build.
When to move on
Once the first workflow has run for a month without surprises, the team usually starts suggesting the next one themselves. That is the signal. Pick something one step harder — another system, or a little more judgement — and keep the same rule: finish it before starting anything else.
The best second project is the one your team asks for.
What to do on Monday
List ten recurring tasks. Ask each team lead for the two things they’d happily never do again.
Score them honestly. Frequency, hours, and how often the rules change. Low drama wins.
Pick one and finish it. One workflow, live and trusted, beats five pilots that never leave the demo.
The exciting project will still be there in two months. By then your team will have seen one thing work — and that changes every conversation that follows.
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