Essential Questions to Answer Before Starting Any Automation Project
The success of an automation project is largely determined before the first workflow is built. Asking the right questions upfront prevents wasted time, budget overruns, and disappointing results. Use this checklist to prepare for your next automation initiative.
Understanding the Current Process
Process Fundamentals:
- What is the process being automated?
- Who currently performs this process?
- How often does it run (daily, weekly, per event)?
- How long does it take each time?
- What triggers the process to start?
Process Details:
- What are all the steps involved?
- What decisions or conditions affect the flow?
- What data is input to the process?
- What outputs are produced?
- What happens when something goes wrong?
Volume and Scale:
- How many times per day/week/month does this run?
- Is volume consistent or does it spike seasonally?
- What's the expected growth in volume?
Defining Success
Goals:
- What specific problem are we solving?
- What does success look like?
- How will we measure improvement?
- What metrics matter most?
Expected Outcomes:
- How much time should this save?
- What error reduction do we expect?
- What's the acceptable level of human oversight?
- When should we see results?
Technical Requirements
Systems Involved:
- What software/applications are part of this process?
- Do these systems have APIs?
- What authentication is required for each?
- Who owns/administers these systems?
Data Considerations:
- What data flows through this process?
- Is any data sensitive (PII, financial, health)?
- Are there compliance requirements (HIPAA, GDPR, PCI)?
- How clean is the current data?
Integration Access:
- Do we have API keys/credentials for all systems?
- Are there rate limits to consider?
- What permission levels are needed?
- Who can grant access?
Project Logistics
Timeline:
- When do we need this completed?
- Are there fixed deadlines (compliance, seasonality)?
- What's a realistic timeline given resources?
- Can we phase the implementation?
Budget:
- What budget is allocated for this project?
- Does budget include ongoing platform costs?
- Is there budget for maintenance?
- What's the expected ROI?
Resources:
- Who will be involved from our team?
- How much time can they dedicate?
- Who makes decisions when questions arise?
- Who will own the automation after launch?
Risk and Edge Cases
What Could Go Wrong:
- What happens if the automation fails?
- What's the fallback process?
- What edge cases exist?
- How critical is this process to operations?
Error Handling:
- How should errors be reported?
- Who should be notified?
- What requires human intervention?
- How do we recover from failures?
Change Management
Stakeholders:
- Who will be affected by this change?
- Who needs to approve the implementation?
- Are there concerns or resistance to address?
- How will we communicate the change?
Training:
- Who needs training on the new process?
- What documentation is required?
- Who will handle ongoing support?
Platform Decisions
Tool Selection:
- What platform best fits this use case?
- Do we have existing platform preferences?
- What are the cost implications of each option?
- Who will maintain the automation long-term?
Build vs Buy:
- Can this be solved with native features of existing tools?
- Is custom development required?
- Should we use an agency or build internally?
After Launch
Maintenance:
- Who monitors the automation once live?
- How often should it be reviewed?
- What's the process for making changes?
- How do we handle platform updates?
Iteration:
- How will we gather feedback?
- What's the process for improvements?
- When will we review ROI?
Project Readiness Checklist
Before starting, confirm:
- ☐ Process is documented and understood
- ☐ Success metrics are defined
- ☐ Systems and integrations identified
- ☐ API access available or obtainable
- ☐ Budget approved
- ☐ Timeline is realistic
- ☐ Decision-maker assigned
- ☐ Edge cases considered
- ☐ Maintenance plan exists
- ☐ Stakeholders informed
Ready to Start Your Project?
Use this checklist to prepare, then contact our automation team. We'll walk through these questions together and ensure your project is set up for success.
Schedule a discovery call to get started.
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