Your First AI Automation in 5 Days

## Day 1: Identify Your Automation Target ### Morning Session (1 hour) **Task: List all repetitive tasks** Start by creating an inventory of all tasks you or your team do repeatedly: 1. **Open the Process Audit Template** (download below) 2. **Set a timer for 30 minutes** 3. **Write down every repetitive task you can think of:** - Tasks you do daily/weekly - Tasks that frustrate you - Tasks with lots of copy-paste - Tasks with clear rules - Tasks done by multiple people 4. **For each task, note:** - How often it's done - Time it takes - Who does it - Main pain points ### Afternoon Session (1 hour) **Task: Score and prioritize tasks** Now we'll identify the best automation candidate: **Scoring Criteria (1-5 scale):** - **Frequency**: How often is this done? (5 = daily, 1 = monthly) - **Time Impact**: How much time does it take? (5 = hours, 1 = minutes) - **Complexity**: How rule-based is it? (5 = very predictable, 1 = requires judgment) - **Pain Level**: How frustrating/error-prone? (5 = very, 1 = not at all) - **Impact**: How many people affected? (5 = whole team, 1 = just you) **Calculate Total Score** (max 25 points) **Your Day 1 Deliverable:** Top 3 automation candidates with scores. The highest scoring task becomes your target for this week.

## Day 2: Map the Current Process ### Morning Session (1 hour) **Task: Document the step-by-step process** For your chosen automation target from Day 1: 1. **Open the Process Mapping Template** 2. **Document every single step** (even the tiny ones): - What triggers the process? - What data/information is needed? - What decisions are made? - What actions are taken? - Where does information come from? - Where does it go? - What happens if there's an error? 3. **Be ruthlessly detailed** - automation fails on the steps you forget ### Afternoon Session (1 hour) **Task: Identify automation blockers** Look for these common blockers: - **Manual judgment calls** (requires human decision) - **Unstructured data** (handwritten notes, random emails) - **External dependencies** (waiting for people) - **Complex approvals** (multi-step sign-offs) **Decision Point:** If your process has major blockers, you have two options: 1. **Simplify the process first** (remove/change blockers) 2. **Choose a different automation target** (go back to Day 1 list) **Your Day 2 Deliverable:** Complete process map with all steps documented and blockers identified.

## Day 3: Choose Your Automation Tool ### Morning Session (1 hour) **Task: Match your process to the right tool** Based on your process map, choose the best automation approach: **For Data/File Operations:** - Moving files between folders - Copying data between spreadsheets - Renaming files in bulk - **Tool**: Zapier, Microsoft Power Automate, or Python scripts **For Web-Based Tasks:** - Filling out web forms - Extracting data from websites - Social media posting - Email management - **Tool**: Zapier, IFTTT, or browser automation **For Communication/Scheduling:** - Email sequences - Calendar scheduling - Slack/Teams notifications - **Tool**: Calendly, Zapier, or built-in platform automation **For Data Processing:** - Calculations and analysis - Report generation - Data cleaning - **Tool**: Excel/Google Sheets macros, Power BI, or Python ### Afternoon Session (1 hour) **Task: Set up your chosen tool** 1. **Create account** for your chosen platform 2. **Complete tutorial** (most have 10-15 minute quickstarts) 3. **Test with simple example** (not your target process yet) 4. **Verify permissions** (can the tool access what it needs?) **Your Day 3 Deliverable:** Tool selected, account created, and basic functionality tested.

## Day 4: Build and Test Your Automation ### Morning Session (1.5 hours) **Task: Build your first automation** Using your process map from Day 2 and tool from Day 3: 1. **Start simple** - automate just the first 2-3 steps 2. **Use test data** (don't risk real work yet) 3. **Follow the process map exactly** 4. **Test each step** before moving to the next **Common Building Tips:** - **Name things clearly** (you'll forget what they do) - **Add error handling** (what if a file doesn't exist?) - **Include notifications** (so you know it ran) - **Save frequently** (automation platforms can be glitchy) ### Afternoon Session (30 minutes) **Task: Test with real data** 1. **Use a small, safe sample** (1-2 real items) 2. **Watch it run step-by-step** 3. **Check the results manually** 4. **Document what works and what doesn't** **If it works:** Great! Move to Day 5. **If it doesn't:** Debug the specific step that failed. Common issues: - Wrong file paths - Missing permissions - Data format mismatches - Timing issues (automation runs too fast) **Your Day 4 Deliverable:** Working automation that handles your target process end-to-end.

## Day 5: Deploy and Monitor ### Morning Session (1 hour) **Task: Deploy to production** 1. **Create monitoring** (how will you know if it fails?) - Error notifications - Success confirmations - Regular check-ins 2. **Set the schedule** - How often should it run? - What time of day? - Any exclusions (weekends, holidays)? 3. **Create backup plan** - What if the automation breaks? - Who else knows how it works? - How to do the task manually if needed? 4. **Go live!** ### Afternoon Session (1 hour) **Task: Document and plan next steps** **Create your Automation Playbook:** - What the automation does - How to monitor it - How to fix common issues - When to review/update it **Measure your success:** - How much time will this save per week? - What's the hourly value of that time? - Annual savings = Weekly savings × 50 weeks × Hourly rate **Plan automation #2:** - Go back to your Day 1 list - Pick the next highest scoring task - Schedule time to automate it **Your Day 5 Deliverable:** Live automation saving you 5+ hours per week and a plan for your next automation project. ## Congratulations! 🎉 You've gone from zero to having a working automation in just 5 days. This is your foundation - now you can build on it.