Automation is easier to justify when a task is frequent. Frequency alone does not establish that the task should exist. A recurring report nobody uses is a candidate for removal before it is a candidate for faster generation.
- 01Ask who needs the requirement
- 02Simplify the handoffs
- 03Test the simpler version
- 04Automate the stable sequence
- 05Keep questioning the workflow
Ask who needs the requirement
Identify the person, obligation or outcome behind each step. Some requirements are essential; others survive because nobody remembers who can change them. Verify before removing a control that protects something important.
Write the consequence of deleting the step. If the answer is unclear, investigate with the people affected rather than assuming the work has no purpose.
Simplify the handoffs
Look for duplicated entry, repeated approval and information reformatted for different tools. A clearer input or a shared record may remove more work than automating each transfer separately.
Keep the process understandable enough that someone can explain why each remaining stage exists.
Test the simpler version
Run a bounded trial and inspect quality, completion time and exceptions. Faster is not better if customers or another team now perform the missing work. Use a view of the whole process.
Automate the stable sequence
Once the rules and inputs are clear, choose the recurring steps a system can handle reliably. Define ownership for exceptions and a way to stop or reverse the automation where appropriate.
Keep questioning the workflow
A well-known engineering sequence in the source library prompted this article. The working principle is simple: requirements, simplification, speed and automation should be considered in an order that avoids efficiently preserving unnecessary work. Revisit the sequence when the business changes.