Which business processes can you automate?
Do not start with the most annoying task. Start with the process whose purpose, boundaries and ownership are demonstrably clear.
In short
Start with recurring work that has clear rules, usable data and known exceptions, such as transferring order details or checking requests. Someone must decide what the automation should do and check whether the result is good enough. Frequency matters, but does not by itself prove that automation is worthwhile.
Eight questions before creating a shortlist
- 01
Purpose
Which concrete outcome should improve?
- 02
Frequency
Does the work recur often enough to justify change?
- 03
Rules
Are decisions explicit, explainable and sufficiently stable?
- 04
Exceptions
Are deviations known and is it clear when a person takes over?
- 05
Data
Are input and output available, reliable and permitted?
- 06
Impact
Is value visible in quality, time, risk or capacity?
- 07
Ownership
Can one owner determine priorities, scope and acceptance?
- 08
Operation
Is there capacity for monitoring, change, incidents and continuity?
Stop and investigate further when
- nobody can explain the process from start to finish
- exceptions mainly live in employees' heads
- source data is missing or unreliable
- there is no owner for acceptance and change