When not to automate

We're a consulting practice that builds automation systems. We tell clients not to automate things regularly.

It's one of the more important things we do.

Things that shouldn't be automated

Not everything that's manual should be automatic. Some processes are manual because they require judgment that can't be encoded. Some are manual because they happen rarely enough that the automation overhead would exceed the manual effort. Some are manual because the relationship they involve matters.

• High-stakes decisions that require human accountability
• Processes that change frequently enough that maintaining an automation would be harder than the manual work
• Customer interactions where the relationship is the value
• Edge cases that are rare but consequential

The test

The test for whether something should be automated: if a machine does this instead of a person, what do you lose? If the answer is nothing, automate it. If the answer is something like judgment, relationship, or accountability, think carefully before you build.

"If the answer is nothing, automate it. If the answer is something, think carefully."