Choose one workflow worth fixing.

The seven-step method

1. 1

   Find the work that repeats

   Choose work that happens weekly, follows a recognizable sequence, costs at least three team hours, and has a result someone can verify.

2. 2

   Define the finish line

   State the usable result, the source it must be checked against, and the deadline. If you can't state this plainly, watch the work before you automate it.

3. 3

   Name the inputs

   List only what a careful employee needs, including one correct example and one result that should be rejected. Missing inputs must stop the workflow.

4. 4

   Separate procedure from judgment

   Automate copying, lookup, approved formulas, formatting, and checks. Keep promises, approvals, pricing, and irreversible decisions with a person.

5. 5

   Install three gates

   Define an input gate, an output gate, and an action gate. A failed gate stops the work and names what is missing.

6. 6

   Measure the baseline

   Record minutes per run, runs per week, people involved, rework rate, and time from first input to usable result.

7. 7

   Run one controlled test

   Use the same real input in the old and new process, compare every consequential field, fix the rule or source, then rerun it.