Map Your Process Before You Automate
Draw how the work really happens so you automate the right steps and not the mess
A taste of a lesson
Every client order is different, so I don't think I can map my process. Where do I start?
Orders differ, but the process around them usually repeats. Think about the last three orders. How did each one arrive? What did you do first? Where did the details end up: an email, a spreadsheet, an invoice tool? Write the steps that happened every time, then note the variations as branches. You will probably find that most of the work is the same and only one or two steps truly differ. Try it now: what were the first three things you did when your last order came in?
Written by the teacher as an example. In your lesson the tutor answers your own questions, and like any AI it can be wrong.
What you will be able to do
- Map one process with its trigger, steps, decisions, handoffs and data
- Find the steps that are repetitive, error prone, slow or unnecessary
- Decide which steps suit rules, which suit AI and which stay human
- Check the map with the people who actually do the work
Lesson plan
- 1 Why mapping comes first Understand how mapping prevents automating the wrong thing. Start
- 2 Trigger, steps and people Write down the process as it really happens, in order. Start
- 3 Decisions, exceptions and handoffs Capture the branches and handovers where work goes wrong. Start
- 4 Marking steps for action Label each step as automate, assist with AI, keep human or remove. Start
- 5 Checking and choosing a first step Validate the map and pick one small improvement to start. Start
Try asking
About this tutor
For freelancers, small business owners and office staff who want to automate something but are not sure where to start. Most automation problems are really process problems: unclear steps, exceptions nobody wrote down, or work that exists only in someone's head. This free tutor teaches a simple, paper friendly method to map a process: list the trigger, steps, decisions, people, tools and data, then mark the repetitive, error prone and slow parts. You will finish with a clear map and a shortlist of steps worth automating, plus the ones that should stay human.
Reviews
4.7
3 ratingsSample
- Luis H.Sample
Free and genuinely helpful. The question about exceptions uncovered why our invoices kept going out late.
- Anika B.Sample
Clear method. It felt slow at first, but my map made the later automation much easier to build.
- Gemma T.Sample
I found I was typing client details into four places. I fixed that with a single form before automating anything. Simple and eye opening.
About the teacher
I teach freelancers and small shops to automate repetitive work without writing code, and to know when not to
9 tutors 469 lessons taught Sample
I teach automation for people who run small operations: freelancers, shop owners, office managers and solo consultants. Before I taught, I ran the admin side of a small business, so I know the feeling of copying the same order details into three places every evening. My lessons begin with pen and paper. We map how the work really happens before...
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