FIRST AUTOMATION BRIEF
Automations For Business | September 14, 2026
https://automationsforbusiness.com/guides/choosing-your-first-automation

Save a copy and fill this in with one task your team repeats.
Use example data. Leave out passwords, API keys and private customer records.
You can use this brief with your own team or any implementation partner.

1. THE TASK
We currently spend time on:
The person doing this today:
How often it happens:
Time spent on one typical example:

2. THE STARTING POINT
The event that should start the workflow:
The app or place where it starts:
Required information before work can begin:

3. THE STEPS
Step 1:
Step 2:
Step 3:
The apps involved:

4. THE FINISHED RESULT
The exact output we need:
Where it should go:
What a person should check before it is used or sent:

5. EXCEPTIONS AND OWNERSHIP
If information is missing, the workflow should:
If the same request arrives twice, it should:
If an app is unavailable, it should:
The person responsible for reviewing exceptions:
How that person should be notified:

6. A SMALL PILOT
One included task:
Things we are leaving out for now:
Access and subscriptions we already have:
Costs or tool changes we need to review first:
Success means:
We will measure review time and corrections as well as time saved.

FIVE TEST CASES TO AGREE BEFORE BUILDING

Normal example
Input:
Expected output:
Observed output:
Pass / needs work:

Missing required information
Input:
Expected pause and notification:
Observed result:
Pass / needs work:

Duplicate request
Input:
Expected handling (including whether any action must happen only once):
Observed result:
Pass / needs work:

Conflicting information
Input:
Expected review step:
Observed result:
Pass / needs work:

Unavailable connected app
Input:
Expected retry, alert and manual recovery path:
Observed result:
Pass / needs work:

ILLUSTRATIVE COMPLETED BRIEF

Task: prepare the same weekly order-summary document from an approved sheet.
Start: a team member marks a row Ready for draft.
Required fields: order reference, item, quantity and delivery date.
Steps: validate fields; prepare an editable document; notify the reviewer.
Output: a draft in the agreed folder, linked to the source row.
Approval: the reviewer checks details before sending it.
Missing date: keep the draft on hold and ask the row owner to complete it.
Duplicate: reuse the order reference and do not create a second document.
App unavailable: record a pending state; retry within agreed limits; alert
the owner if it remains blocked. Check whether the first attempt succeeded
before repeating a document-creation action.
Pilot: one sheet, one template and five sample rows. Exclude payments,
customer emails and changes to the source order.
Success: all five agreed test cases behave as expected; no duplicate
documents or invented fields; the reviewer can recover a failed run.

This is a planning example, not a claim of client results or a ready-made
integration. Access, feasibility, costs and scope need to be checked.

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