Safe Automation Checklist — Prevent Fragile, Expensive Automations

Use this checklist before building a prototype and again before wider rollout. Treat each item as essential to preventing common mal-hungers such as bypassing human checks, creating brittle systems, or imposing ongoing maintenance burdens.

• Define clear outcome metrics — Time saved, error rate, cycle time, customer-facing SLA; know how you'll measure success.
• Map the process — Visualize each step, inputs, outputs, exceptions, and where decisions occur.
• Identify human judgement points — Keep humans in the loop where discretion or empathy matters.
• Choose a safe operating mode — Shadow mode (observe), suggestion mode (propose, human accepts), or full auto with rollback limits.
• Define failure modes and fallbacks — What happens when data is missing, formats change, or an integration fails?
• Plan monitoring and alerts — Set thresholds, logging, and responsible owners for alerts and incidents.
• Create a rollback & maintenance plan — How to revert changes and who will update the automation when inputs change.
• Document assumptions and data contracts — Record the formats, field names, and timing that the automation depends on.
• Address privacy & compliance — Ensure data access, retention, and authorizations are appropriate and auditable.
• Start small & measure — Run a short pilot with real users, measure results, and gather qualitative feedback before scaling.
• Assign ownership — A named person or small team should own metrics, incidents, and updates.
• Train users — Provide quick how-tos and escalation paths for people interacting with the automation.