Here is a painful truth. If you automate too early, you do not get speed. You get a faster mess.
The most profitable word in ops is not yes. It is not yet.
The moment this shows up
It shows up when you are busy and tired. People are frustrated. Someone says, "We should automate this." It feels like relief.
But if the workflow is still changing every week, automation becomes a treadmill. You keep fixing edge cases instead of getting real speed.
A real example
A team wants to automate quote follow ups. They want a clean rule. When a quote is sent, follow up twice.
Then you watch what really happens. Half the quotes are missing a detail. Some quotes require approval. Some go out from a personal email. Sometimes sales sends the quote. Sometimes ops does.
If you automate in that state, you will spend your time babysitting the automation. It will feel like the tool is broken, but the workflow is the real issue.
The three prerequisites
Before you automate, check these three things.
-
Stable inputs The same key info shows up every time. If the inputs are random, the automation will be random.
-
A clear finish line You can say what done is in one sentence.
-
One owner One person owns done. Not the team. Not a channel. One name.
If any of these are missing, the right answer is not yet.
What to do instead
Not yet does not mean do nothing. Pick the smallest move that makes the workflow real.
Examples:
- make one intake form
- add one approval step
- define done in one sentence
- assign one owner
Once those are true, automation becomes easy.
Why this matters
Building too early is expensive. Waiting until the workflow is clear saves money and makes the next build actually work.
If you want help picking what is ready and what is not, book a discovery call.
What is the workflow you keep wanting to automate, but it still feels messy?