Before investing time and money in automation, determine whether the process itself is ready. A poor process does not become a good process simply because software performs it faster.
This checklist provides a structured way to review nine areas before moving from an automation idea into detailed design or implementation.
What the checklist covers
- Process clarity. Is the workflow understood, repeatable, and owned?
- Business value. Is there a defined operational problem worth solving?
- Data readiness. Are the required inputs available, accurate, permitted, and understood?
- Systems and integration. Can the required systems connect reliably and safely?
- Security and privacy. Have access, sensitive information, credentials, logging, and applicable obligations been considered?
- Human oversight. Are judgment, approval, correction, escalation, and accountability clearly assigned?
- Exceptions and failure handling. Can the organization detect problems, recover safely, and stop the automation when necessary?
- Ownership and implementation. Are business, technical, testing, deployment, and maintenance responsibilities assigned?
- Measurement. Is there a baseline and a practical way to determine whether automation improved the process?
Readiness score
Score each area from 0 to 3: 0 means not understood, 1 means significant gaps, 2 means mostly ready with manageable gaps, and 3 means ready. The maximum score is 27.
- 22-27: Strong candidate. Proceed to detailed design and controlled testing.
- 16-21: Promising, but gaps remain. Address weaknesses before production.
- 9-15: Low readiness. Improve the process, data, or controls first.
- 0-8: Not ready. Do not automate yet.
The score supports discussion rather than replacing judgment. A serious security, privacy, safety, legal, or compliance issue can stop a project regardless of its total score.
Final go/no-go questions
- What problem are we solving?
- Why is automation the appropriate solution?
- What happens when the automation is wrong?
- Who can stop it?
- Who remains accountable?
- How will we know whether it actually improved the process?
If those answers are unclear, the project probably needs more work before implementation.