Automating a crappy process only creates crappy results faster.
Most of my clients try automating manual processes to create efficiencies.
But just because you can automate something, doesn't mean you should...
Have you ever heard the story of the three blind men and the elephant?
One feels the trunk and thinks it's a snake.
Another feels the leg and thinks it's a tree.
Still another feels the tusk and thinks it’s shaped like a spear.
Like them, trying to automate a process you don't understand is blind guesswork - and you'll likely get it completely wrong.
Instead:
1️⃣ Don't Build First, Learn First - Spend time doing the work manually to truly understand it. Too many people have too many ideas that they get far too excited about, and rather than take the time to know their customers and solve their customers’ problems, they create a solution that, in the end, doesn’t work and nobody wants.
2️⃣ Prove the Pain - Only automate processes that repeatedly suck the life out of you when done manually. If it's not consistently painful, you may be speculatively automating something you'll never actually need.
The larger point is: don't guess at solutions before truly understanding the problem.
Stop building things the moment you have an idea, and spend some time actually doing the work manually first.
By deeply knowing the pains you're solving, you ensure your automation will be a home run once it’s time.
But take the time to learn first.