How do you know when a process should be automated?

Automation is not a reward for a process being annoying. It is a decision about volume, stability, cost and consequence.

The readiness test

A process is a reasonable automation candidate when it runs often, runs roughly the same way each time, has a clear owner, and produces an output someone actually uses.

Simplify before you automate

In most SMEs, the first pass through a process removes steps rather than automating them. Duplicate approvals, data re-entry and reports nobody reads are cheaper to delete than to encode.

Keep a human checkpoint where consequence is high

Automation and AI should reduce effort, not remove accountability. Where an error would reach a customer, a regulator or a payment, keep a defined check and make it someone's named job.