What Tasks Should We Automate First?
The Short Answer
The best tasks to automate are usually the repetitive, manual activities that consume time without creating much value.
If people are spending hours entering data, chasing approvals, moving information between systems, creating reports, or performing the same steps repeatedly, automation may be able to remove effort, reduce errors, and free up capacity for more valuable work.
Not Everything Should Be Automated
When organisations start looking at automation, one of the biggest mistakes is trying to automate everything.
Some processes are already efficient. Some require human judgement. Some aren’t used often enough to justify the effort. The key is identifying where automation will create the biggest gain with the least disruption. The goal isn’t to replace people, but to remove repetitive work so people can focus on work that requires thinking, problem solving, customer interaction, and decision-making.
How Do You Know Something Should Be Automated?
Tasks follows the same
steps every time
Tasks requires
manual data entry
Tasks create delays
for other work
Tasks happens
frequently
Tasks relies on
email approvals
Errors regularly occur
because of manual handling
Tasks involve copying
information between systems
Tasks produce
regular reports
Staff describe it as
repetitive or frustrating
Five Tasks You Should Look At First
1. Data Entry
Manually entering information into multiple systems consumes significant time and increases the likelihood of errors.
Examples:
- Customer information
- Sales records
- Job information
- Form submissions
- Spreadsheet updates
3. Reporting
Generating reports regularly results in lost productivity. Much of the data already exists, the challenge is assembling it repeatedly.
Examples:
- Weekly management reports
- KPI dashboards
- Project updates
- Financial summaries
- Operational reporting
5. Document Management
Creating, filing, locating and sharing documents if often manual. Automating document workflows can improve both efficiency and consistency.
Examples:
- Contract templates
- Client onboarding documents
- Employee forms
- Policies and procedures
- Compliance records
2. Approvals
Many businesses still rely on email chains for approvals. Automation keeps work moving without people needing to chase responses.
Examples:
- Leave requests
- Purchase approvals
- Expense claims
- Contract reviews
- Invoice sign-off
4. Notifications and Reminders
People spend significant time following up on tasks. Automated reminders help keep work moving without manual intervention.
Examples:
- Due dates approaching
- Documents awaiting review
- Incomplete forms
- Outstanding approvals
- Project milestones
Where Should You Start?
The biggest opportunities often sit in the work people do every day without questioning it.
The best place to start depends on where your organisation is feeling the most pressure. Rather than trying to automate everything at once, focus on the areas that are creating the most effort, delays, or frustration.
Consider looking more closely at:
- Repetitive Administrative Tasks
- Where Processes experience Bottlenecks
- Where Capacity Is Being Lost (or where frustration emerges
Remember: Not every process is a good candidate for automation. Automating a poor process usually creates a faster poor process. Fix the process first. Then consider automation.
How Kambium Helps
The challenge is knowing where to start.
Most organisations already have automation tools available within their existing technology platforms. Kambium works with organisations to identify repetitive work, understand process bottlenecks, and prioritise opportunities that will deliver measurable value.
Rather than automating for the sake of automation, we focus on practical improvements that reduce effort, improve consistency, and free people to focus on higher-value work.
Automation
Assessment
Process
Mapping & Review
Microsoft 365
Automation
Workflow
Optimisation
Productivity
Assessment
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the easiest task to automate?
Data entry, approvals, notifications, and reporting are often the quickest places to start.
Should we automate everything?
No. Focus on the areas creating the most effort, delays, or frustration.
Is a task worth automating?
If it’s repetitive, time-consuming, happening often, then probably yes.
What’s the biggest automation mistake?
Automating a poor process usually creates a faster poor process. Fx the process first.
Will automation replace jobs?
Most organisations use automation to remove repetitive work, not people.
Where do most organisations start?
Usually with approvals, reporting, document management, or repetitive administrative tasks.
Discover Where Capacity is Being Lost
Book a discovery session with Kambium to identify practical opportunities for improvement.