Every automation project that fails has the same cause: the process was never written down.
Here is the checklist we run before touching any tool.
1. Write the process as steps
Not as a goal ("handle incoming mail faster") but as steps. Who does what, in which order, with which input and which output. If two people describe the process differently, the automation will fail.
2. Count the time
Measure how many minutes per week this costs, per person. Automating something that costs ten minutes a month is a hobby project, not a business case.
3. Find the decisions
Mark every point where someone has to decide. Those points need rules, or a human in the loop. Almost all failed automations skipped this step.
4. Define done
What is the output? An answer, a completed file, a scheduled appointment, a prepared quote? Vague output means vague automation.
5. Start small, ship in two weeks
One process, fully working, beats five processes half-built. Build, measure, then expand.
6. Keep a human at the exceptions
Automation handles the normal path. People handle the exceptions. Every system needs a clear route back to a human.
If you want to see how we apply this with AI agents, the worked examples are here: Match-AI.
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