Often times we think we are automating a process, but instead, we may be automating a destructive pattern.
Do it manually for a few weeks.
Dont perpetuate bad actions.
Go through the learning as a person, automate what you learned.
A list of questions and checks to help you see if you should automate a process or not.
I've had a lot of people asking for this.
This is just what I use.
1st half are open-ended questions for exploration
2nd half are rankings for prioritization.
Hope this helps you!
Often times we think we are automating a process, but instead, we may be automating a destructive pattern.
Do it manually for a few weeks.
Dont perpetuate bad actions.
Go through the learning as a person, automate what you learned.
If you are filtering people for hire, and you automate right off the bat, you may automate based on the wrong criteria.
Its better to filter manually, do some calls, have some interviews, and adjust the process a bit until you are automating the right thing.
Automating, just to automate is not useful. It just creates another system to maintain without any upside.
Each automation adds to the complexity of your business process. As complexity increases, so does areas for breakage and unintended consequences.
Every automation results in loss.
Proximity to the process.
You may miss a "regime shift" as things change.
You may lose closeness to your customers and personal interaction.
You miss an understanding of your operation as it grows or changes.
Related to the above. When you do something manually, you auto-adjust based on changes.
When automated, the environment, rules, practices, culture, or something else slowly moves over time.
You won't be there to learn and adjust.
Have a plan.
For this I focus on
Impact
Strategy
Risk
Cost
Return
- What operational function is being affected
- How much of a difference/impact will this make for stakeholders? (employees, customers, suppliers)
- What is the targeted outcome for the stakeholders? (otherwise, you won't know if its working or not)
Every company should have a few targetted strategic outcomes they are working towards?
If the automation doesn't further these, it could be a distraction. Rank how well it fits in with the few strategic objectives you have.
Rank for each obj
Will this impact any of the levers for value?
- EBITDA / Cash Flow
- Multiple Expansion
- Customer Perception
- Competitiveness / Moat
- Time Required
- Maintenance time and energy required to keep up and running
- Upfront investment required
- ongoing costs required?
More from Life
“We don’t negotiate salaries” is a negotiation tactic.
Always. No, your company is not an exception.
A tactic I don’t appreciate at all because of how unfairly it penalizes low-leverage, junior employees, and those loyal enough not to question it, but that’s negotiation for you after all. Weaponized information asymmetry.
Listen to Aditya
And by the way, you should never be worried that an offer would be withdrawn if you politely negotiate.
I have seen this happen *extremely* rarely, mostly to women, and anyway is a giant red flag. It suggests you probably didn’t want to work there.
You wish there was no negotiating so it would all be more fair? I feel you, but it’s not happening.
Instead, negotiate hard, use your privilege, and then go and share numbers with your underrepresented and underpaid colleagues. […]
Always. No, your company is not an exception.
A tactic I don’t appreciate at all because of how unfairly it penalizes low-leverage, junior employees, and those loyal enough not to question it, but that’s negotiation for you after all. Weaponized information asymmetry.
Listen to Aditya
"we don't negotiate salaries" really means "we'd prefer to negotiate massive signing bonuses and equity grants, but we'll negotiate salary if you REALLY insist" https://t.co/80k7nWAMoK
— Aditya Mukerjee, the Otterrific \U0001f3f3\ufe0f\u200d\U0001f308 (@chimeracoder) December 4, 2018
And by the way, you should never be worried that an offer would be withdrawn if you politely negotiate.
I have seen this happen *extremely* rarely, mostly to women, and anyway is a giant red flag. It suggests you probably didn’t want to work there.
You wish there was no negotiating so it would all be more fair? I feel you, but it’s not happening.
Instead, negotiate hard, use your privilege, and then go and share numbers with your underrepresented and underpaid colleagues. […]
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👨💻 Last resume I sent to a startup one year ago, sharing with you to get ideas:
- Forget what you don't have, make your strength bold
- Pick one work experience and explain what you did in detail w/ bullet points
- Write it towards the role you apply
- Give social proof
/thread
"But I got no work experience..."
Make a open source lib, make a small side project for yourself, do freelance work, ask friends to work with them, no friends? Find friends on Github, and Twitter.
Bonus points:
- Show you care about the company: I used the company's brand font and gradient for in the resume for my name and "Thank You" note.
- Don't list 15 things and libraries you worked with, pick the most related ones to the role you're applying.
-🙅♂️"copy cover letter"
"I got no firends, no work"
One practical way is to reach out to conferences and offer to make their website for free. But make sure to do it good. You'll get:
- a project for portfolio
- new friends
- work experience
- learnt new stuff
- new thing for Twitter bio
If you don't even have the skills yet, why not try your chance for @LambdaSchool? No? @freeCodeCamp. Still not? Pick something from here and learn https://t.co/7NPS1zbLTi
You'll feel very overwhelmed, no escape, just acknowledge it and keep pushing.
- Forget what you don't have, make your strength bold
- Pick one work experience and explain what you did in detail w/ bullet points
- Write it towards the role you apply
- Give social proof
/thread
"But I got no work experience..."
Make a open source lib, make a small side project for yourself, do freelance work, ask friends to work with them, no friends? Find friends on Github, and Twitter.
Bonus points:
- Show you care about the company: I used the company's brand font and gradient for in the resume for my name and "Thank You" note.
- Don't list 15 things and libraries you worked with, pick the most related ones to the role you're applying.
-🙅♂️"copy cover letter"
"I got no firends, no work"
One practical way is to reach out to conferences and offer to make their website for free. But make sure to do it good. You'll get:
- a project for portfolio
- new friends
- work experience
- learnt new stuff
- new thing for Twitter bio
If you don't even have the skills yet, why not try your chance for @LambdaSchool? No? @freeCodeCamp. Still not? Pick something from here and learn https://t.co/7NPS1zbLTi
You'll feel very overwhelmed, no escape, just acknowledge it and keep pushing.
