Process automation spec template

You do not need a 40-page specification to automate a process. You need one page that answers the questions below. Copy the headings, fill them in for one process, and send it to whoever will estimate the work.

The template

1. Name and owner: what the process is called and who is responsible for it.
2. Trigger: what starts it (an email, an order, a date, a form).
3. Steps today: each step, who does it, in which system, and how long it takes.
4. Volume: how many times a day, week or month it runs, and at what peaks.
5. Systems: every tool involved, with the type of access available (API, export, screen only).
6. Exceptions: what goes wrong, how often, and what people do then.
7. Result: what “done” looks like, and how you would measure the improvement.

Tips

• Time the process for a week before writing the steps. Estimates from memory are usually off.
• List exceptions honestly. They decide most of the effort.
• Pick one process. Automating three at once usually means finishing none.