Before automating, first exploit (remove waste) then…
Before automating any process, first exploit it (remove waste) and subordinate it (ensure clean inputs), because automation amplifies whatever it touches including waste and mistakes.
When This Fires
- Before automating any recurring process (Four-category automation triage's "automate now" category)
- When automation produces errors or waste faster than manual processing did
- When Automate the single highest-frequency manual data transfer…'s sequential automation needs the quality prerequisite
- Complements Four-category automation triage (automation triage) with the pre-automation quality sequence
Common Failure Mode
Automate-first: "This process is slow, let's automate it!" The process includes 3 unnecessary steps, receives inconsistent inputs, and has no error checking. The automation makes it 10x faster — producing 10x more unnecessary outputs from inconsistent inputs with no error checking. Speed increased; value didn't.
The Protocol
(1) Before automating, exploit: can any steps be eliminated? Simplified? Combined? Remove all waste from the process first. (2) Then subordinate: are the inputs to this process clean and consistent? If the process receives variable-quality inputs, standardize them before automating. (3) Then automate the lean, clean process. The automation now amplifies value rather than waste. (4) After automation, monitor for new problems: the speed increase may reveal issues that manual pacing previously masked (Sovereignty check before automation — if the automation…'s sovereignty check). (5) This sequence takes longer than immediate automation but produces a system that works reliably rather than one that produces garbage at high speed.