A warning before counting signs
Digitizing an unstable process does not remove disorder; it turns it into forms, permissions and automations that are hard to change. Look first for a shared outcome and rules that can be explained.
The signs below matter most when several appear together.
The ten signs
1. The task happens often
Daily or weekly friction accumulates enough cost to investigate.
2. The start and finish are clear
The team knows what triggers the work and what complete means.
3. Several people need the same data
Separate copies turn every discussion into a version dispute.
4. Status questions repeat
Is it approved, sent or assigned? A shared view is missing.
5. Rules are already applied manually
Priorities, deadlines and permissions can be documented.
6. Mistakes leave measurable evidence
Rework and missed deadlines make impact visible.
7. One person holds the knowledge
Their absence should not stop the operation.
8. Volume is growing
A process that works for ten cases may break at one hundred.
9. Users will test it
Real examples and timely decisions prevent assumption-led development.
10. A small first outcome exists
One complete request is better than digitizing the whole company.
Three times I would wait
Wait when everyone describes a different process, rules change through improvisation or nobody will own the data after launch.
Start with observation, a common template and two weeks of real use.
A quick test
Take five recent cases, including two that went wrong. Mark waits, copies, decisions and exceptions. If the team agrees what should have happened, there is material for a first release.
If it cannot agree, the next step is a decision—not development.
A process is ready when the problem repeats, its main rules can be explained and someone will test one complete first improvement.