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Before automating a workflow, watch someone complete it, document what actually happens—including decisions and exceptions—and test a better version with the people who do the work. Then pilot automation on a narrow scope with a baseline and clear success measures. This sequence helps reveal what a build must handle; it does not guarantee success or mean every manual step should disappear.
Start with a process you can bound
Choose one workflow with a clear starting condition and an observable finish. For example, define the start as receiving a complete request and the finish as recording the approved outcome—not the broader goal of “improving operations.” Write down why the team wants to change the process and what result would make the change worthwhile.
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Identify the root problem before choosing a tool or trigger. Is the work delayed by repeated entry, unclear ownership, avoidable rework, or a necessary review? These have different remedies. Salesforce’s guidance likewise recommends defining goals and identifying root causes before selecting an approach (Salesforce Help: Get Started Automating a Business Task with a Flow).
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Ask a person who performs the work to walk through a normal case live. Have them explain what they do, what information they consult, and how they decide what happens next. Then walk through at least one exception, such as an incomplete request or an unusual approval. A written procedure often describes the intended path; observing the work can expose undocumented checks, workarounds, and handoffs.
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Record the process as it occurs, including:
- What starts the work and what counts as completion.
- Each action, decision, and rule, including who owns it.
- Information and systems used, and what happens when input is missing or incorrect.
- Handoffs, waits, approvals, workarounds, and exceptions.
A Reddit discussion illustrates how a live walkthrough can uncover undocumented steps, but it is an individual anecdote, not evidence that walkthroughs produce a particular outcome (r/AI_Agents discussion).
Map the current state, not the ideal
Turn the walkthrough into a simple flowchart or, if the team already uses it, a BPMN-style diagram. Show branches where decisions lead to different outcomes; label owners, rules, systems, and handoffs. A concise written sequence can work too, provided it captures the same details and makes exceptions visible.
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Keep this as a map of the current state. It is a record of how work happens, not proof that the process is sound. Microsoft’s Power Automate guidance advises examining how work flows today, assessing suitability, separating business rules, and improving through a measured pilot (Microsoft Power Automate: Business Process Automation Benefits).
Decide what should change before automating
Review the map with the people who perform and receive the work. Separate necessary controls from duplication, avoidable delays, rework, and unclear ownership. Decide which rules are stable enough to express clearly and which cases still need judgment or approval.
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Useful candidate characteristics include repetitive, high-volume, error-prone, or compliance-critical work, according to Microsoft’s vendor guidance. These are considerations, not a universal scoring rule or a guarantee that automation is appropriate. Assess the actual process across several dimensions:
- Rule predictability: Can people apply the rule consistently, or does the case require interpretation?
- Frequency and volume: Does the process occur often enough for a change to matter?
- Error consequences: What happens if the workflow takes the wrong action?
- Input quality: Are required fields present and consistent, or does someone routinely correct them?
- Exceptions and judgment: How often does a case depart from the normal path, and who can resolve it?
- Approval and accountability: Must a person review, approve, or escalate the result?
Improve the process where needed before translating it into automation. Keep human review where risk, judgment, or accountability calls for it; automating a handoff does not remove responsibility for the outcome.
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Test the proposed workflow before building
Describe the redesigned process and test it with sample cases. Include a normal case, missing or incorrect inputs, decision branches, and exceptions that matter to the team. Ask stakeholders to review the expected outputs and decide who will check results and when a case must be escalated.
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Testing can be lightweight: the Australian Government’s National AI Centre recommends approaches such as a paper prototype, stakeholder review, exception-case testing, and load testing where appropriate. Record what was tested, what happened, and whether the team should proceed, revise the design, or stop (National AI Centre: Redesign your workflow). The right tests depend on the process; a high-volume workflow may need load testing, while a low-volume process may not.
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- Plenty Of Space For Efficient Planning: Stay focused & manage your time wisely! The 9.3x6.3” (inner pages) work planner & organizer notebook offers ample space for 80 days of life-changing planning with each day being spread across 2 pages - set yourself up for purposeful days
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Pilot narrowly, measure, then decide whether to expand
Before rollout, establish a baseline and choose a small number of measures tied to the original problem. Depending on the workflow, that could mean elapsed time, rework, error rate, exception rate, or the share of cases requiring human review. Define how each measure will be counted and over what period so the pilot can be judged against the prior process rather than impressions alone.
- Limit the pilot: Set a defined scope, such as one workflow, team, or case type, with a clear start and finish.
- Set review responsibilities: Name who checks outputs, handles exceptions, and can pause or escalate the process.
- Track results: Review the selected measures alongside errors, unexpected branches, and user feedback.
- Make a decision: Adjust the workflow or automation if the pilot reveals problems; expand only when the results support doing so.
Microsoft Learn’s Azure Logic Apps guidance describes defining business logic, testing and reviewing workflows, and retaining human oversight where necessary (Microsoft Learn: Create Workflows for Dynamic Automation – Azure Logic Apps Automation). A pilot is a decision point, not a promise to scale: revise, keep appropriate manual controls, or leave the process as it is if that better serves the work.
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