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1 | Automation Audit | |||
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3 | Instructions: Make a copy of this sheet to find ideas and areas to streamline your operations and improve your online business efficiency | |||
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5 | Checklist by automateops.co - an automation consultant as a service agency. Having $10k + monthly revenue? | |||
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7 | Book a discovery call | |||
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9 | Comany Tech Stack: 0/4 | |||
10 | Checkbox | Question | Recommendation | Comment |
11 | Are the API-First Tools used across the organization? | The effects of working with outdated tools are often invisible today, but in the long term they affect the operational efficiency of the company. Choose your tech stack with automation in mind. You want to have your tools connected. APIs enable that. | ||
12 | Is CRM used as a central tool to manage clients? | Store client data in CRM that meets your needs and is easily integrable with other tools. Pipedrive, Hubspot, and Airtable are one of the best on the market. | ||
13 | Do you have an operational database in place? - Airtable/Notion. | You should introduce a single source of truth where data is stored. Airtable is our recommended tool. | ||
14 | Are you using automation tools like Zapier/Make - so you can connect all the dots across the different tools? | Connect your company data with such tools. | ||
15 | Automation/Process Based Culture: 0/9 | Recommendation | ||
16 | Is every routine task processed? | Once you write down each step of the process, you will find out which actions provide value and which are entirely useless. Probably you will be scared of the scale of non-value steps. | ||
17 | Are all key processes visually mapped? | Map process point by point. It is much easier to automate and edit visually mapped processes. Use Miro/ Whimsical, ClickUp Whiteboard to map it out | ||
18 | Are your processes based on highly described conditions? | Create a process with a well-designed flow where the outcome of each action is well known. It is super easy then to automate such process. | ||
19 | Are you regularly review and improve your processes.? | If you automate an inefficient process, you will have a inefficient process automated. Review the processes every month/quarter, and improve your process when something breaks. It is bad practice to automate a low-quality process. | ||
20 | Are all tedious and repetitive tasks automated? | You do not want your coworkers to work like robots. Automate non-value added but required tasks, so that specialists can focus on creative and high-value tasks | ||
21 | Are automations well documented and stored in one place? | Create a single source of truth for your automation. Create an internal learning management system for your automations - record video per each automation - so everyone can learn from that. You will appreciate it when something breaks. | ||
22 | Is an automation-first culture introduced across the team? | Evangelize automation so that people will follow the shift to an automation mindset. Without people following the process - automations will break frequently and create a huge mess. | ||
23 | Are operators trained in how to use automation tools? | Hire a No-code Consultant/Coach or identify an internal automation leader to coach your team. You want your team to be able to streamline their workflows. | ||
24 | Are forms with predefined options to choose widely used across different departments | Forms are perfect tools to streamline operations if you use predefined options. Forms are also helpful when you do not want to give someone access to the entire space/ database but want to provide an opportunity to trigger a new action. Store form URLs in one place. Allow triggering forms from Slack. | ||
25 | Project Management Software Rules: 0/6 | Recommendation | ||
26 | Is a Project Management tool constantly updated and developed in API-friendly culture? | You do not want to be stuck with a tool that is updated once per 10 years. Use a tool that has an open roadmap and is constantly improved, and introduces new integrations. The perfect example is Clickup which has a public roadmap with weekly or bi-weekly product updates! | ||
27 | Is a standard for Project Management tool introduced and used by the entire team? | You should have one document that describes the role of each part of the tool, rules to follow by the task operators and explains the meaning of each Custom Field option - a document that contains all the rules of using the PM tool. People should follow such rules. You should create a process for checking the correct use of the tool should be applied. | ||
28 | Are all the routine tasks templated and hosted in OS? | Processes should live where work is being done. Store task templates in your OS/ Project Management Tool. | ||
29 | Is a naming convention introduced for every part of the project management workspace? | Introduce naming convention rules across the entire organization. You do not want to handle errors created because of different naming introduced. Project name, Sections, Project Roles, Custom fields, and Custom Field options should have a specific naming convention. Use custom fields to highlight the task stage and store essential pieces of information required to finish the tasks. | ||
30 | Are Custom fields widely used? | Use custom fields to highlight stage of the task, store important informations required to finish the tasks. | ||
31 | Does custom field name in PM tool reflect field name from other tools like Hubspot, Pipedrive? | The Hubspot field "Lead source" should match the "Lead source" custom field in ClickUp, Asana, or any other PM tool. You do not want to waste your time thinking about what the name in one tool means in the other tool work done once will pay off for years. | ||
32 | Are Custom fields used to store IDs of the tools related to task? | Always store the task ID in Custom Field and record's ID in the tool/database related to the tool - e.g. Airtable, Pipedrive. You will avoid overwriting the task, enabling you to quickly match it and update the task's status in another tool or database. | ||
33 | Automation Tool Rules: 0/6 | Recommendation | ||
34 | Are the automations and each step of automations adequately named? | Pay attention to the proper naming convention of each step of the automation. You want to understand what is happening when editing or troubleshooting automation quickly. | ||
35 | Are automations triggered instantly (using webhooks)? | When using webhooks, the data appears immediately. You can process data immediately, you do not have to wait for something to be triggered every hour or once a day. It saves you countless amounts of operations. | ||
36 | Are automations chunked and easy to be reusable? | Create short automations that are easy to maintain. After a while, It is challenging to understand your scenario when something goes wrong or when someone replaces you. | ||
37 | Are the filters used to process correct data | Create filters to secure the quality of the data. | ||
38 | Do you monitor each automation? Is the database for automation logs created? | Store activity logs for each automation so you have a full picture of the return on investment. It also gives you data about the stability of the automation and helps you troubleshoot it. | ||
39 | Are the automations stored in Folders grouped by department/area of business? | Automations should live in Folders dedicated to the specific department. | ||
40 | Ops Database Rules: 0/7 | Recommendation | ||
41 | Does the Database support data flow across the tools? | The database is the heart of the automation flow. Without a database - one single primary source of truth, you are chaotically connecting tools. Establishing an operational database to have data organized, streamlined and optimized would be best. | ||
42 | Are collected data about users, and are the user ids matched with user @email across the multiple tools? | Working with multiple tools that at least some of your team is using is essential. You want to assign a Hubspot ticket to the same person in Asana or Clickup. You want to have a table where you match the @email of the user with the ID number in each tool involved in automation. | ||
43 | Are the tables logically connected? | You should create separate tables if the logic of the database demands it, but you need to link one table to another to have a real-time connection between datasets. | ||
44 | Is the record_id formula stored in each table? | Use the record_id formula in Airtable or its counterpart in another tool. It is the glue of almost every automation that involves a database. It gives you easy access to proper records, and it reduces the chance of overwriting error | ||
45 | Does the custom field name in the database tool reflect the field name from other tools like Hubspot and Pipedrive? | The Hubspot field "Lead source" should match the "Lead source" custom field in the Database tool. You do not want to waste your time thinking about what the name in one tool means in the other tool Work done once will pay off for years. | ||
46 | Are internal Automations used in Database Tool to streamline data flow? | Your database tool should have capabilities of internal automation. When using Airtable automation, you always have the actual data in your operational database and save countless operations in tools like Zapier or Make. | ||
47 | Are Custom fields used to store IDs of the tools related to task? | Always store the task ID in Custom Field and record's ID in the tool/database related to the tool - e.g. Airtable, Pipedrive. You will avoid overwriting the task, enabling you to quickly match it and update the task's status in another tool or database. | ||
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