How to Map a Workflow Before You Automate It
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The most common mistake in operational software projects is automating a process nobody has actually mapped end to end. A messy manual process, automated, is usually just a faster messy process.
Talk to the people doing the work, not just their manager
The documented process and the actual process frequently diverge, often for good reason - workarounds exist because the documented process doesn't handle real edge cases.
Map exceptions, not just the happy path
The happy path is usually well understood; it's the exceptions - the 20% of cases that don't fit the standard flow - that determine whether automated software will actually get adopted.
- Interview the people doing the work directly, not just management
- Document exceptions and edge cases, not just the standard flow
- Identify which steps exist only as historical workarounds
Prioritize automation by frequency and pain, not novelty
The most satisfying automation to build isn't always the most valuable - prioritize the steps causing the most repeated pain, even when they're less technically interesting.
Frequently Asked Questions
For most operational software projects, one to two weeks of structured mapping meaningfully reduces rework later in the build.
The people who actually perform the work daily, plus one decision-maker who can resolve conflicting input when different team members describe the process differently.
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Glad it was useful, Jamie - happy to go deeper on that if you want to book a call.
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Really useful breakdown - the point about talk to the people doing the work, not just their manager matches exactly what we ran into last quarter.