Start with a repeatable task, not the most impressive automation.

Follow one real instance from start to finish. Record the trigger, information needed, actions taken and person who checks the result. Include waiting, corrections and exceptions. “Follow up leads” is too broad; “prepare a review list of unanswered inquiries each Friday” is a clearer candidate with a visible output.

For a representative period, record how often the task occurs and how long it takes. Keep routine handling separate from unusual cases. Multiply observed frequency by observed time to estimate the current effort, then allow for review and maintenance in any proposed automation. This is a planning estimate, not a promise that every minute will become usable capacity.

Use one row per task with these fields: frequency; minutes per occurrence; error consequence; process stability; sensitive data; required judgment; systems involved; reviewer. Prefer a task whose rules and owner are clear. A repetitive task involving payments or confidential records may deserve more caution than a less frequent task with an easily checked output.

A hypothetical example: a business manually collects weekly stock notes from three internal sheets. A first pilot could prepare one combined review report, leaving purchasing decisions with the owner. It should not silently become an automatic ordering system. A useful pilot proves the information can be assembled correctly before adding consequential actions.

Agree what a correct result looks like, how it will be compared with the manual process and who reviews mismatches. Stop the pilot if records are missing, ownership is unclear or an unexpected action occurs. Include a way to return to the manual process. Repeating a failed action without knowing its outcome can create more work than it saves.

Someone needs to notice failures, review exceptions and adapt the process when a source changes. Compare setup effort, subscriptions, ongoing review and likely maintenance with the benefit you actually need. Sometimes a better checklist or simpler form is the most useful first improvement. Automation should remove a burden, not create an unexplained system everyone is afraid to touch.