Standardization
Does the process run the same way every time, everywhere?
1. The process is documented, and the documentation matches how the work is actually done.
2. Different people (or teams, or shifts) execute the process the same way.
3. Inputs arrive in a consistent, predictable format.
Exception & Error Profile
Automation is only as good as its handling of the cases that don't fit.
4. We know our exception rate — what percentage of items fall outside the standard path.
5. Exceptions have a defined handling path with a named owner (not "whoever notices").
6. When errors occur, root causes are identified and addressed — not just patched.
Controls & Oversight
Touchless doesn't mean unwatched.
7. Critical control points (approvals, reconciliations, compliance checks) are explicitly identified.
8. We have defined what a human must still review after automation — and why.
9. If the automated process drifted or failed silently, our monitoring would catch it within days, not months.
Data Quality
Models and bots inherit every flaw in the data they run on.
10. The data feeding this process is accurate and complete enough to act on without manual correction.
11. There is a single agreed source of truth — not competing spreadsheets and systems.
12. We have baseline metrics (volume, cycle time, error rate) to compare against after automation.