Which task should you automate first?

List tasks you repeat: copying an enquiry, notifying a colleague, filing an attachment or requesting missing information. For each, note the trigger, tools used and intended outcome. A few precise examples are more useful than a general ambition to automate everything.

Prefer a frequent, understandable task with reasonably stable rules. If every case needs new interpretation, start by preparing information for a person rather than removing their decision. Automation can cover just one step of a process.

An enquiry may arrive twice, without a contact address or while the receiving software is down. Define the response to each case: ignore a confirmed duplicate, request a correction or notify an owner. An error message should make it clear which action needs to be resumed.

Test with authorised examples and fictional or anonymised data where possible. Check recovery after interruption too: restarting should not create duplicate invoices, contacts or confirmations. A step involving spending or a commercial reply can remain subject to your approval.

Compare the work before and after, including time spent reviewing and correcting. Consider avoided omissions and easier handovers, not just minutes saved. An estimate remains an assumption until checked against actual use.

Finally, name the person receiving alerts and clarify who updates the rules. Connected software may change access conditions or prices. A documented workflow with stop and recovery procedures is easier to maintain than a chain nobody understands.