automation-workflow

name	automation-workflow
description	Designs automation workflows with trigger-action sequences, tool connections, and error handling procedures. Use when automating repetitive business processes.
allowed-tools	Read Write Glob
metadata	{"author":"matthewhitcham","version":"1.0"}

Automation Workflow

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when you need to:

• Design an automation workflow for a repetitive business process
• Map trigger-action sequences connecting multiple tools
• Build error handling and monitoring for automated processes
• Document automation workflows for maintenance and troubleshooting

DO NOT use this skill for coding custom integrations, selecting automation tools, or one-time batch processes. This is for designing repeatable automated workflows.

---

Core Principle

AUTOMATE PROCESSES THAT ARE REPEATABLE, RULE-BASED, AND TIME-CONSUMING — IF A TASK REQUIRES JUDGMENT EVERY TIME, IT NEEDS A HUMAN, NOT AN AUTOMATION.

---

Phase 1: Brief

Required Inputs

Input	What to Ask	Default
Process to automate	"What repetitive task do you want to automate?"	No default — must be provided
Current steps	"Walk me through the manual steps, in order."	No default — must be provided
Frequency	"How often does this process run? Per day, week, trigger?"	Multiple times per week
Tools involved	"What tools are involved in this process?"	No default — list all tools
Automation platform	"Do you use Zapier, Make, n8n, or another automation tool?"	Zapier
Error tolerance	"What happens if the automation fails? Critical or minor impact?"	Minor — can recover manually

GATE: Confirm the brief before mapping the workflow.

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Phase 2: Map the Workflow

Process Documentation

Document the current manual process step by step:

## Current Manual Process: [Name]

**Trigger:** [What initiates this process]
**Steps:**
1. [Action] in [Tool] — [Time estimate]
2. [Action] in [Tool] — [Time estimate]
3. [Action] in [Tool] — [Time estimate]
...
**Output:** [What the completed process produces]
**Total time:** [X minutes/hours per occurrence]
**Frequency:** [X times per week/month]

Automation Design

Convert manual steps to trigger-action format:

## Automated Workflow: [Name]

**Trigger:** [Event that starts the automation]
  ↓
**Step 1:** [Action] — [Tool] → [Output]
  ↓
**Step 2:** [Filter/Condition] — Only continue if [criteria]
  ↓
**Step 3:** [Action] — [Tool] → [Output]
  ↓
**Step 4:** [Action] — [Tool] → [Output]
  ↓
**End:** [Final output or notification]

Decision Points

Identify steps that require conditions:

Decision	If True	If False
[Condition 1]	Continue to Step 3	Skip to Step 5
[Condition 2]	Send notification	Log and stop

GATE: Confirm the workflow map before building error handling.

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Phase 3: Build

Step-by-Step Setup Guide

For each step in the automation, document:

### Step [X]: [Action Name]

**Tool:** [Tool name]
**Trigger/Action:** [Specific trigger or action type]
**Configuration:**
- Field 1: [Value or mapping]
- Field 2: [Value or mapping]
- Field 3: [Value or mapping]

**Data mapping:**
- Input: [Where this data comes from]
- Output: [What this step produces for the next step]

**Test:** [How to verify this step works correctly]

Error Handling

For each step, define failure scenarios:

Step	Failure Mode	Detection	Recovery
Step 1	Trigger does not fire	Monitor for expected frequency	Check trigger configuration
Step 2	API connection fails	Error notification	Retry 3 times, then alert
Step 3	Data format mismatch	Validation check	Log error, skip record, notify
Step 4	Destination unavailable	Error notification	Queue and retry in 1 hour

Monitoring Setup

• Success notification: Optional confirmation when the workflow completes
• Failure alert: Immediate notification (email or Slack) on any step failure
• Daily digest: Summary of runs, successes, and failures
• Monthly review: Check automation is still running correctly and producing expected results

---

Phase 4: Polish

1. Workflow Documentation

## Workflow Documentation: [Name]

**Purpose:** [What this automation does in one sentence]
**Created:** [Date]
**Owner:** [Name]
**Platform:** [Zapier/Make/n8n]
**Estimated time saved:** [X] hours per [week/month]

### Workflow Diagram
[Trigger] → [Step 1] → [Condition] → [Step 2] → [Step 3] → [Output]

### Dependencies
- [Tool 1] account with [plan requirement]
- [Tool 2] API key or integration enabled
- [Data source] must be in [format]

### Maintenance
- Check monthly that all connections are active
- Update if any connected tool changes its API
- Review if the business process changes

2. ROI Calculation

## Automation ROI

**Time per manual execution:** [X] minutes
**Frequency:** [X] times per [period]
**Total manual time:** [X] hours per month
**Your hourly rate:** $[X]
**Monthly value of time saved:** $[X]
**Automation tool cost:** $[X]/month
**Net monthly savings:** $[X]

3. Quality Checklist

## Automation Workflow Checklist

- [ ] Manual process documented step by step with time estimates
- [ ] Trigger clearly defined (event, schedule, or condition)
- [ ] Each step has specific tool, action, and configuration documented
- [ ] Decision points and conditions are mapped
- [ ] Error handling defined for each step (detection + recovery)
- [ ] Failure alerts configured (email or Slack notification)
- [ ] Workflow tested end-to-end with real data
- [ ] Documentation includes dependencies and maintenance notes
- [ ] ROI calculated (time saved vs. tool cost)
- [ ] Monthly review scheduled to verify continued function

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Example

Process: New customer onboarding

## Automated Workflow: New Customer Onboarding

**Trigger:** New payment received in Stripe
  ↓
**Step 1:** Create customer record in CRM (Notion/Airtable)
  ↓
**Step 2:** Send welcome email via email tool (with login credentials)
  ↓
**Step 3:** Add customer to onboarding email sequence
  ↓
**Step 4:** Create project in project management tool
  ↓
**Step 5:** Send Slack notification to team: "New customer: [Name]"
  ↓
**End:** Customer is set up in all systems automatically

**Time saved:** 25 minutes per new customer × 8 new customers/month = 3.3 hours/month
**Tool cost:** $20/month (Zapier Starter)
**ROI:** $247/month saved at $75/hour

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Anti-Patterns

• Automating a broken process — if the manual process is flawed, the automation just breaks faster. Fix the process first.
• No error handling — automations fail silently unless you build alerts. Always configure failure notifications.
• Over-automating — a 15-step automation with 8 conditions is fragile. If it breaks, nobody knows how to fix it. Keep workflows under 7 steps.
• No documentation — an automation nobody understands is an automation nobody can fix or improve.
• Skipping the test — always test with real data before relying on the automation. Edge cases reveal themselves in testing.

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Recovery

• Automation stops working: Check each connection. Most failures come from expired API tokens or changed tool permissions.
• Wrong data flowing through: Add a validation step that checks data format before processing. Log rejected records.
• Automation runs too often or not enough: Verify the trigger configuration. Add rate limits or scheduling constraints.
• Process changes but automation does not: This is why documentation matters. Review the workflow whenever the business process changes.