Often times we think we are automating a process, but instead, we may be automating a destructive pattern.
Do it manually for a few weeks.
Dont perpetuate bad actions.
Go through the learning as a person, automate what you learned.
A list of questions and checks to help you see if you should automate a process or not.
I've had a lot of people asking for this.
This is just what I use.
1st half are open-ended questions for exploration
2nd half are rankings for prioritization.
Hope this helps you!
Often times we think we are automating a process, but instead, we may be automating a destructive pattern.
Do it manually for a few weeks.
Dont perpetuate bad actions.
Go through the learning as a person, automate what you learned.
If you are filtering people for hire, and you automate right off the bat, you may automate based on the wrong criteria.
Its better to filter manually, do some calls, have some interviews, and adjust the process a bit until you are automating the right thing.
Automating, just to automate is not useful. It just creates another system to maintain without any upside.
Each automation adds to the complexity of your business process. As complexity increases, so does areas for breakage and unintended consequences.
Every automation results in loss.
Proximity to the process.
You may miss a "regime shift" as things change.
You may lose closeness to your customers and personal interaction.
You miss an understanding of your operation as it grows or changes.
Related to the above. When you do something manually, you auto-adjust based on changes.
When automated, the environment, rules, practices, culture, or something else slowly moves over time.
You won't be there to learn and adjust.
Have a plan.
For this I focus on
Impact
Strategy
Risk
Cost
Return
- What operational function is being affected
- How much of a difference/impact will this make for stakeholders? (employees, customers, suppliers)
- What is the targeted outcome for the stakeholders? (otherwise, you won't know if its working or not)
Every company should have a few targetted strategic outcomes they are working towards?
If the automation doesn't further these, it could be a distraction. Rank how well it fits in with the few strategic objectives you have.
Rank for each obj
Will this impact any of the levers for value?
- EBITDA / Cash Flow
- Multiple Expansion
- Customer Perception
- Competitiveness / Moat
- Time Required
- Maintenance time and energy required to keep up and running
- Upfront investment required
- ongoing costs required?
More from Life
How to get smarter very fast:
Interact with smart people here on Twitter who have different world-views than you do.
And let them change your mind on something.
Here are the 30 people you should follow (along with my favorite tweet from each)👇👇
Twitter can be terrible if you follow negative people.
It can also be more valuable than a college degree if you follow (and network with) the right people.
You get to look right into their brain and read a daily narrative of HOW they think.
Ok lets go:
#1: @ShaanVP
You know he's all about venture capital based entrepreneurship. I'm about small (non-sexy) business. We disagree on a lot of stuff.
But he's done it and he's won. Bonus follow: @theSamParr (@myfirstmilpod podcast
#2: @fortworthchris
He is where I want to be in 15 years. Has built a massive real estate private equity firm from the ground up. Super grounded with what the way he does business and his podcast @theFORTpodcast is top
#3: @Julian
I'm a scattered thinker and procrastinator.
Julian is a master of clear thinking and simple but effective writing. A world class example of content marketing and
Interact with smart people here on Twitter who have different world-views than you do.
And let them change your mind on something.
Here are the 30 people you should follow (along with my favorite tweet from each)👇👇
Twitter can be terrible if you follow negative people.
It can also be more valuable than a college degree if you follow (and network with) the right people.
You get to look right into their brain and read a daily narrative of HOW they think.
Ok lets go:
#1: @ShaanVP
You know he's all about venture capital based entrepreneurship. I'm about small (non-sexy) business. We disagree on a lot of stuff.
But he's done it and he's won. Bonus follow: @theSamParr (@myfirstmilpod podcast
10 years ago, Netflix spent $0 on original content.
— Shaan Puri (@ShaanVP) January 14, 2021
This year:
Netflix: $11B
Apple: $6B
Disney: $1B
+ amazon, hulu HBO etc.
=
$20B+
Here's a crazy startup idea to take a swing at this $20B+ content pi\xf1ata. \U0001f447 Here's a quick business plan \U0001f914
#2: @fortworthchris
He is where I want to be in 15 years. Has built a massive real estate private equity firm from the ground up. Super grounded with what the way he does business and his podcast @theFORTpodcast is top
When buying a deal, every day that goes by, the potential for tunnel vision grows.
— Chris Powers (@fortworthchris) January 7, 2021
Obsessing over executing detailed Due Diligence early and efficiently is paramount to limiting this.
#3: @Julian
I'm a scattered thinker and procrastinator.
Julian is a master of clear thinking and simple but effective writing. A world class example of content marketing and
THREAD: 10 significant lies you're told about the world.
— Julian Shapiro (@Julian) January 9, 2021
On startups, writing, and your career:
Okay hope everyone having a lovely weekend. Lots of love today. Feeling very blessed 🥰 Going through NNOX tweets from last week. Time to compile threads and bring you highlights. No need to go digging old tweets if I do for you 🤗 FDA, Secondary, and 3P510k. Let’s review..
The NNOX news flow been exceptionally good. I tweet about Fear Uncertainty Doubt and how short sellers leverage friction in news flow to mine some of your gains. NNOX published Form F-1/A to remove friction. Investors have answers.
Form F-1/A Link:
Form F-1 is over 200 detailed pages. Very concentrated. Everything you need for rest of this month in the document. A few notes for you. NNOX FDA approval uses a third party review organization in 510k process. This is abbreviated to 3P510k.
I covered the 3P510K in thread here: https://t.co/w7zE882CVk
Reference to Eagle eyes: https://t.co/gT779MFX82
We discover in F-1 that 3P510K recommended clearance of Nanox Source. This triggers a 30 day timeline to approval by FDA. However ...
Look at you favorite broker news for NNOX. I look at 3 different broker none of them comment NNOX from 60 to 80 on news that 3P510k recommended FDA approve NNOX device. NNOX get a letter and slide 10% we get headline. But no headline for big pop 🤷♂️ that’s the friction.
The NNOX news flow been exceptionally good. I tweet about Fear Uncertainty Doubt and how short sellers leverage friction in news flow to mine some of your gains. NNOX published Form F-1/A to remove friction. Investors have answers.
Form F-1/A Link:
Form F-1 is over 200 detailed pages. Very concentrated. Everything you need for rest of this month in the document. A few notes for you. NNOX FDA approval uses a third party review organization in 510k process. This is abbreviated to 3P510k.
I covered the 3P510K in thread here: https://t.co/w7zE882CVk
Reference to Eagle eyes: https://t.co/gT779MFX82
We discover in F-1 that 3P510K recommended clearance of Nanox Source. This triggers a 30 day timeline to approval by FDA. However ...
Eagle-eyes \U0001f985 https://t.co/w1wF3Ysmt1
— Harvey \U0001f1fa\U0001f1f8 (@realharveymark) February 12, 2021
Look at you favorite broker news for NNOX. I look at 3 different broker none of them comment NNOX from 60 to 80 on news that 3P510k recommended FDA approve NNOX device. NNOX get a letter and slide 10% we get headline. But no headline for big pop 🤷♂️ that’s the friction.
