01 / Reading preview
Start with
the work.
Before choosing a tool, look closely at the task. What starts it? What information does it need? What does a useful result look like?
A simple way to look at a task
Input
What comes in?
Decide
What needs to happen?
Review
Who checks the result?
Output
What goes out?
Name a real, recurring task.
“Automate my business” is difficult to begin with. “Bring the weekly report inputs into one place for review” gives you something concrete to understand.
Write down how the task works today. Include the small checks people make, the information they look for and the moments when something is missing. Those details are part of the workflow.
Keep a person in the picture.
A useful flow makes responsibility clearer. Identify who reviews a draft, handles an unusual case or decides what should happen next.
Reflection prompts for your own workflow
- Which task do you repeat each week?
- What information starts the task?
- Where do you pause to make a judgement?
- What would a useful first result look like?
This reading preview is available without a course purchase. Recorded lessons will follow.