Automation Strategy

Overview Automation is the application of technology to produce and deliver goods and services with minimal human intervention. Moving from "Manual" to "Automated" is the primary driver of productivity.

Identifying Candidates for Automation Not every task should be automated. Use the 3 R's Rule:

1. Repetitive Is this task performed frequently (daily/weekly)?

• Yes: Automate.
• No: One-off tasks take longer to automate than to do.

2. Rule-Based Does the task follow strict logic (If X, then Y)?

• Yes: Automate.
• No: If it requires subjective judgment ("Is this design pretty?"), it needs a human (or complex AI).

3. Risky (Human Error) Is it catastrophic if a human makes a typo (e.g., Copy-pasting data into DB)?

• Yes: Automate to ensure 100% accuracy.

The XKCD Curve Always consider the "Time to Automate" vs "Time Saved".

• Spending 2 weeks to automate a task that takes 2 minutes once a week is a net loss (unless the accuracy gain is worth it).

Tools

• Scripts: Python, Bash.
• SaaS: Zapier, Make.
• RPA: UiPath.