Find the right workflow to automate

A practical audit for identifying repeatable work, understanding exceptions, and choosing a manageable first automation.

2 min read

Start with the work people repeat

Choose one workflow and follow it from its first trigger to its final outcome. Watch someone complete a real example, including the copying, checking, waiting, and follow-up that rarely appears in a process document. Record how often the task happens, how long it takes, which systems it touches, and who owns each step. Separate hands-on work from waiting time. A slow approval may need a clearer decision rule before it needs software. Use recent examples to understand the process, and keep any personal or confidential information out of your audit notes.

Make the exceptions visible

List the conditions that change the normal path: missing information, duplicate requests, unavailable systems, and decisions that require judgment. For each exception, agree what should happen next and who receives it. Check whether the required systems offer supported integrations and whether the necessary permissions are available. An automation that succeeds only when every input is perfect will create a new queue of manual work. Define a clear completion signal, such as a confirmed booking or an accepted record, so a successful run means more than a script finishing without an error.

Choose a small, measurable pilot

Compare candidates by volume, consistency, access to reliable inputs, and the impact of a mistake. Start with a contained workflow whose result can be reviewed before it affects a customer or an important record. Measure the existing completion time and exception rate, then use the same measures during the pilot. Give someone responsibility for checking failures and maintaining the integration. Document when the workflow should pause or return to manual handling. Expand only after the pilot behaves predictably across normal cases and the exceptions your team encounters most often.