Why Your Automation Projects Never Get Finished

Automation promises to save time, reduce errors, and give your team instant access to critical data. But here's the problem: most automation projects end up in the exact opposite place they were meant to go.

Instead of saving time, they consume weeks or months of development. Instead of simplifying workflows, they create complex systems that nobody uses. The culprit? Trying to build everything at once.

The "Perfect System" trap

When you're building a new automation, it's tempting to include every feature that would be "nice to have." You start mapping out the perfect system – one that handles every edge case, connects to every platform, and anticipates every future need.

But here's the reality: while no-code and low-code tools are fast, they're not instant. When you try to build all those nice-to-have features upfront, you get bogged down. What should take days stretches into weeks or months.

Meanwhile, your team continues dealing with the manual process that sparked the automation idea in the first place.

Start with what you actually need

The most effective automation isn't the most comprehensive one—it's the one that gets used.

Focus on your original problem. What was the first pain point that made you think, "We need to automate this"? That's your starting point.

Building and publishing one simple automation that solves your most urgent need delivers immediate value. Once your team starts using it regularly, you can phase in improvements over time. Each addition builds on a foundation that's already proven valuable.

Real-world example: the CRM problem

We’ve worked with many companies searching for automation solutions who lack a core piece of their tech stack: a customer relationship management system, or CRM. Without one, potential customers reaching out through websites, social media, email, or phone calls often get lost in the shuffle.

The "perfect system" approach would involve researching CRM platforms, evaluating features, setting up integrations, building alert systems, and connecting all possible contact channels. This process could take months.

The strategic minimalism approach? Start with a simple notification system.

Set up an automation that routes incoming requests to announce in a Slack channel, sends a text message to the responsible person, or drafts an email. 

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This solves the immediate problem – ensuring no potential customer gets ignored – while buying you time to build the larger system.

Once you stop the bleeding (people shouting into the void), you can thoughtfully select the right CRM, create proper contact management workflows, and scale the system beyond one person.

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How to apply strategic minimalism to your workflows

Step 1: Identify a Process to Automate

Pick a workflow you want to automate – ideally one involving multiple people or software platforms that happens daily or weekly. Write down a few candidates.

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Step 2: Map the Full Process 

Document every step, including handoffs between team members. Note which software is used at each stage. Use any format you're comfortable with: circles connected by lines on paper, a whiteboard, or sophisticated tools like Lucidchart or Miro.

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Step 3: Reduce to Essentials

Simplify your diagram to the 1-5 most critical elements. If you could wave a magic wand and move information between software platforms, what would those transfers be?

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Step 4: Build the Minimum Viable Automation

Get a free account on Zapier, Make, or Pipedream. Start with automations that address your most urgent problems. Focus on moving information between just the essential software platforms you identified.

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Step 5: Iterate and Improve

Once your basic automation is running and providing value, add features incrementally. Each improvement builds on a working foundation.

Automate your workflows with XRay.Tech

If you’re not looking to learn automation tools yourself, but still want to start automating your team’s processes, then just reach out to XRay. 

We’ll automate your processes with an iterative, scalable approach, making sure that we can easily add new features after our initial build. 

To get started, book a free consultation today. 

The bottom line

When it comes to automation, less is more – especially at the start. Figure out your most urgent problems and address them in the simplest way possible. You can always add features later.

If you put off automation until you've designed the perfect system, you'll waste valuable time you can't get back. Worse, you'll spend more time building than benefiting from what you've built.

The most reliable automation technique? Keep it simple at the start. Address what's urgent and important right now. Everything else can wait.

Your future self will thank you for starting with something that works rather than waiting for something perfect that never gets finished.

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