Don’t Automate Noise
October 30, 2023
We love automation. But we’ve also seen how bad automation can cause more problems than it solves.
Automating the wrong thing doesn’t create efficiency—it just accelerates chaos. A broken process running faster is still a broken process.
At Redwood Lane, we focus on automating systems that are stable, repeatable, and worth the effort. Because automating noise? That just gets you noisy, faster.
How We Evaluate What to Automate
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Is the process well-defined?
If people on the team all describe the same step differently, it’s too early to automate. We map the process first, confirm agreement, and then build. Automation should lock in clarity, not confusion. - Is it frequent and time-consuming?
- Updating ownership on 10 records per year? Don’t automate it.
- Updating ownership on 1,000 records per week? Absolutely.
The best candidates are the ones that save meaningful hours, not just minutes.
- Does it reduce risk or error?
Processes tied to compliance, customer satisfaction, or revenue deserve priority. If automation prevents mistakes that could cost money, time, or trust, it’s not just convenient—it’s strategic.
Example in Practice
We once audited an org where every time a Case was updated, four different Flows sent Slack messages to the same channel. Users were drowning in alerts, so they started ignoring all of them—including the important ones.
Instead of “more automation,” we streamlined to a single notification that only fired under key conditions. Suddenly, alerts got noticed again.
Pro Tips
- Start small: Build for one team or scenario first, then expand.
- Use Fault Paths: Silent failures erode trust. Always capture and log errors.
- Revisit regularly: What was “valuable automation” last year may be noise today if the process has changed.
Key Takeaway
Automation should make things smoother—not louder.
The best automation is:
- Built on a clear process
- Applied where frequency justifies it
- Designed to reduce risk and error
Anything else? That’s just noise on repeat.