Consulting
Why We Didn’t Automate First — And Why That Worked Better
Process Stabilization Before Automation
The Challenge
A client requested full automation for a fulfillment process that had changed 4 times in 2 months. The lack of documented standards and clear ownership meant that any automation built would have broken within weeks, wasting significant budget.
The Solution
We paused the build and implemented a "Documentation-First" framework. We mapped 12 core Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), defined clear role ownership, and ran the process manually for 4 weeks to validate stability before writing a single line of code.
Business Impact
- Prevented an estimated $15k+ in wasted development spend
- Established a process baseline that allowed for 2x volume scaling
- Reduced role ambiguity, cutting internal meeting time by 25%
- Created a "ready-to-automate" foundation for Phase 2