As an automation consultant, it is my job to help businesses automate as much as possible. I am a big believer that if you don’t automate, you risk getting out of business sooner than most people expect.
But I don’t preach automation to everyone. In fact, I believe there’s something worse than not automating at all.
That’s automating the wrong thing.
Recently, I had a client who wanted me to automate their LinkedIn funnel. They were running ads and wanted me to automate their Pipedrive, add Airtable into the mix, and some email workflows. Initially, I said yes – who doesn’t like Pipedrive workflows? Thankfully, there was a delay on their end – because, as it turned out, the lead gen process they asked me to automate on top of… not only didn’t work, but didn’t even exist!
So while I hate delays, this one was a blessing that saved them quite a lot of money (and saved me quite a lot of time).
Why Most Automation Projects Fail (The Real Reason)
You see, even the most robust backend lead processing system won’t help you if your marketing does an awful job at generating quality leads.
But they’re not the first and won’t be the last business that tries to put the cart before the horse. Most businesses approach automation backwards – they automate first, then wonder why it doesn’t work.
The problem isn’t the tools. It’s skipping the foundations. In the case of that client, they had absolutely no idea who to target or how to entice people to get into their funnel.
So, how do you deal with this? Here are 6 non-negotiable things you need to do BEFORE you reach out to an automation consultant or agency.
Foundation #1: A Process That Actually Works
Now, in the case of the aforementioned client, it clearly didn’t work. And all the money they would have spent on my services, they’d be better off spending on understanding WHO their clients are and proper advertising. But it’s not just marketing workflows that can cost you a lot if they don’t work.
For example, if you automate a process that you believe exists, but nobody in the entire company cares about it… why bother? Sure, I’d be glad to take your money – but I’d rather wait for you to get your foundations set so we can build some real automation systems.
The fundamental question: Before you automate anything, ask yourself: “Does this process actually deliver the results we want when done manually?” If the answer is no, fix the process first, then automate.
Foundation #2: Clear Process Documentation
One of the first things I will ask you if you decide to work with me (outside of the courtesy small talk) is this:
“What are the processes that you want to automate, and do they actually exist in your business?”
The first part is pretty straightforward – if you don’t have any mapped processes, there’s nothing to talk about. But there’s a difference between “we have the processes documented” and “we think we have processes.”
Because if it’s the latter, more often than not those “processes” are nothing more than wishful thinking and plenty of chaos.
And believe me, the last thing you want to do is leverage automation to create even more chaos and misunderstanding.
So, before any automation project, ask yourself: if a stranger came into your business, would they be able to follow your processes?
Here’s the test: Can you hand your process document to someone unfamiliar with your business and have them execute it successfully? If not, you’re not ready to automate.
Remember: automation will automate whatever you ask it to – whether that’s a perfectly polished process or a complete mess.
Foundation #3: Single Source of Truth for Data
Where does your data live? And by that I mean, what’s the main place I should look to find data about your customers and ROI?
You see, automation needs data to work. It doesn’t matter if you’re sending hot leads to your CRM or automating business proposals with an Airtable app – there’s always data involved.
But if your data is scattered across 5 different tools and there’s no one “true” source, then workflow A can end up generating something completely opposite to what workflow B does.
Of course, if all you need is a simple workflow to automate payment collection, you’re probably fine. But before you build anything more complex, the very first thing you should do is create a single source of truth. That way, when your CRM talks to your project management tool, there’s no discrepancy, and reliable data in equals reliable data out.
The bottom line: Your automation is only as good as your data foundation. Fix the data first, automate second.
Foundation #4: Buy-In from People Who’ll Use It
If you’re like me and you read AI news daily, on one hand you wonder when robots will take over the world, and on the other you wonder how they’re supposed to do it if ChatGPT still hallucinates more than a college student after finals week.
But as of today, automation systems still need someone to use them. You can have the best workflow in the world, but if people don’t understand how it works (or don’t even know about it), the system is a failure by default. This is especially true if, while automating, you need to overhaul old processes that people have used for the last 5 or 10 years (because “that’s how we’ve always done things”).
If you don’t include those people in automation design, you risk them opposing the entire project – especially if the only moment you include them is during rollout.
But if you play your cards right, those same people will be the first ones to ask for automation improvements. After all, who doesn’t like saving hours every week?
Pro tip: Make your team part of the solution, not victims of change. Include them in designing the automation, not just implementing it.
Speaking of which – we get to #5.
Foundation #5: Measurable Success Criteria
On paper, any system that automates your processes looks great. But how do you know if the investment paid off? Or that you couldn’t have automated it better?
Automation is an investment. And every investment should give you a measurable ROI. And it doesn’t have to be just financial metrics.
Other metrics include:
Time saved. If automation saves your employee 2 minutes, that doesn’t seem like much. But if they do the same task 10 times a day, that’s already over 3 hours saved per week. And frankly, 2 minutes is not that hard to achieve. The ROI on time saved is additionally multiplied by the outcomes of how your employee decides to spend their newfound time.
Errors reduced. One of the biggest benefits of automation is that, assuming your source data is accurate, it should avoid common errors we humans are prone to. And depending on the severity of the error, each one you avoid equals saved time, money, or even brand reputation.
Growth acceleration. If automation helps you close more deals and do that faster, you’ll grow faster, right? That’s not always obvious, but business growth is a metric you can use to measure automation success.
Of course, there are other metrics, and they don’t always have to relate to pure business outcomes. Even employee satisfaction can be a success metric – but you need a consistent way of measuring it to know if your systems worked. So how about using automation to measure just that?
The key question: What specific, measurable outcome makes this automation worth the investment?
Foundation #6: Plan for Iteration and Growth
One of the biggest myths in this industry is that automation is a “set it and forget it” thing.
Sure, if you don’t change input data and expected output, and your workflows are simple, they can likely keep running for years without any interruption.
But one of the benefits of automation is that it helps you grow. And as you grow, your processes will change. And so should your automation workflows.
This means that truly successful automation is a never-ending pursuit. You don’t have to automate a lot of things – but to get the best results, you want to iterate. Start small, build on that, and keep improving your processes.
Think of it this way: Your first automation should solve today’s problem while laying the groundwork for tomorrow’s opportunities.
The Foundation-First Approach Pays Off
Sometimes you might wonder if $1,000 or $10,000 spent on automation is worth the investment. And the truth is, it may pay you back 10x – or it may be a complete waste of time and money.
It’s the same principle as in construction. If you build on shaky foundations, you’re creating nothing more than an expensive house of cards.
So don’t just automate. Take a step back, look at your processes, and prepare to automate. That way, while your competitors are automating chaos, you’ll be building moats and long-term competitive advantages.
Next time someone asks you “How can we automate this?” ask them “Are we ready to do that? And if not – what do we need to do first?”
Ready to build automation on solid foundations? If you feel your business has these 6 non-negotiable foundations in place, get in touch and let’s talk about transforming your operations through strategic automation.