Standardize, Automate, Outsource. In that order.

Every workflow I touch gets the same three questions. Is it written down? If not, that's the work: one format, one path, one place it lives. Only then, what kind of automation does it need? Deterministic code where the answer has to be exact (payroll math), AI where the input is messy (an emailed PO full of raw part strings). Whatever is left needs hands or judgment, so it gets outsourced, and it's cheap to outsource because step 1 already defined "done".

The mistake I see most is automating first because a demo looked good. You don't remove the mess, you bake it into code, and an agent will happily invent the steps nobody wrote down.

AI shows up in all three steps, not just the middle one. It drafts the standard from a pile of emails, runs the automation, and writes the brief for the person you hand the rest to.

Which step are most of your workflows actually at? My guess is step 1.

Full write-up with the IMS and OneHub examples: https://contra.com/p/eROlAXrO-sao-standardize-automate-outsource-how-i-decide-what-ships