Choose a task you can describe clearly
Look for repeated work with recognisable inputs and a checkable result. Moving a form enquiry into a shared record is easier to define than “automate sales.” Write down what starts the task, which information is needed, and what should happen next.
Watch someone do the work before drawing the workflow. Small decisions often live in their head: a duplicate enquiry, a missing field, or a customer who needs special handling. Those details belong in the scope.
Map the exceptions as carefully as the happy path
Decide what happens if an external service is unavailable, a record already exists, or a required value is missing. Identify actions that need human approval. Sending a message, changing a price, or deleting a record can require a different review than drafting an internal note.
For an AI step, define the information it may use and how the result will be checked. Keep a route to a person when the task falls outside the agreed boundaries.
Give the workflow an owner
Someone needs to know whether the automation ran, what failed, and how to resume the work. Agree where logs and alerts go and who can change the workflow. An unattended error queue is another manual task waiting to happen.
List the accounts, subscriptions, and permissions involved. Use only the access the workflow needs. Document what should happen if a staff member leaves or a connected account changes.
Start with a controlled trial
Use sample records to test normal and exception cases. Compare the result with the manual process and check for duplicate actions. Then agree a limited live trial with a way to pause the workflow.
A useful first automation makes a defined task easier to operate and maintain. Measure the work it removes and the review work it adds. Those observations will tell you whether to extend it, simplify it, or choose a different task next.