How to know what to automate first
Most companies know they should automate more — but not where to start. Here's a simple method for prioritising the right things.
Quick overview
In short: Automate first the process that is most time-consuming, recurring and error-prone – and at the same time easiest to connect with your existing systems. Automating the wrong process first is a common and costly mistake, so don't guess – rank.
How to get started:
- List 5–10 processes that take time every week.
- Score each process on the four factors: time spent, frequency, error risk and connectability.
- Build away the highest-ranked process first, measure the impact before and after, then move on to the next.
Count honestly: put a rough figure on the time saved, but always measure the impact yourselves – the gain only materialises if the automation is actually put to use.
Automating the wrong process first is a common and costly mistake. You spend time on something that's barely used, while the genuinely heavy work carries on as before. The solution isn't to guess — it's to rank.
Four factors that decide
For each candidate process, ask four questions. Together they give a clear order of priority.
- Time spent — how many hours per week does it take?
- Frequency — does it happen every day, or rarely?
- Error risk — how often do things go wrong, and what do the errors cost?
- Connectability — is the data already in systems that can be integrated?
A process that is time-consuming, recurring, error-prone and easy to connect is an obvious first candidate. One that happens rarely and requires human judgement belongs further down the list.
Do the maths — but honestly
Put a rough figure on the time saved. A process that takes 8 hours a week and can be halved frees up roughly 4 hours a week — but only if the automation is actually put to use.
Start small, measure, build on
Don't automate everything at once. Take the highest-ranked process, build it away, measure the impact and move on to the next. A small first step gives you data to base the next decision on — and builds trust internally.
List
Write down 5–10 processes that take time.
Score
Rank them on the four factors.
Build
Automate the highest-ranked one first.
Measure
Compare before and after, then move on.
If you want to skip the guesswork, we do the mapping for you: a review of your systems and processes with ten ranked opportunities, cost, time savings and a 90-day plan.
Want to see what this looks like in practice? Explore our solutions, see cases and platforms we've built, or get three free suggestions.