Day 7: AI Automation - Your Full Project Guide
Ultimate Automation Project Guide - (FREE FOR A LIMITED TIME)
Yesterday we walked through the seven phases of an automation project. Discovery, scoping, design, build, testing, handover, maintenance. Now you know that running one isn’t too different from any other.
Today is our final day. Let’s talk about what happens next.
You know more than you think
Over the past week, you’ve learned:
What an automated workflow actually is (trigger → steps → output)
Why PMs are perfectly placed to lead this stuff
How to break down any process into its components
What makes a workflow AI-powered (and when you don’t need AI)
How to spot automation opportunities in your own work
How automation projects run from start to finish
The question now is: what do you do with it?
Three paths forward
There’s no single right way to start. Pick the path that fits where you are.
Path 1: Observer
Start noticing workflows in your daily work. When you do a repetitive task, mentally break it down. Trigger, steps, output. Where can AI help? Which bits are better suited for traditional automation? You don’t have to build anything yet. Just practice seeing your projects this way.
Path 2: Champion
Bring one small automation idea to your team. You don’t have to build it yourself. Just identify the opportunity, explain the value, and volunteer to lead a pilot. Be the person who makes it happen.
Path 3: Builder
Learn a no-code tool and create your first simple workflow. Start with something boring and low-stakes. Check out Make.com, Zapier or n8n as your new playground. Break things. Fix them. Learn by doing.
All three paths are valid. Observer builds awareness. Champion builds influence. Builder builds skills. Choose based on your situation and how much appetite you have to learn.
How to pitch an automation idea
When you’re ready to propose something internally, keep it simple.
Name the pain. “We spend X hours every week doing Y manually.”
Describe the fix. “We could automate this so it happens automatically when Z.”
Quantify the benefit. “That would save us X hours per week / reduce errors / speed up delivery.”
Propose a pilot. “I’d like to run a small test with one project / one client / one team.”
Don’t overcomplicate it. Decision-makers want to know: what’s the problem, what’s the solution, what’s the benefit.
Questions to ask before any project
Before you start building (or asking someone else to build), make sure you can answer these:
What problem are we actually solving?
What does the current process look like?
What triggers the workflow?
What’s the output we need?
Who uses it, and what do they need to know?
How will we know it’s working?
What happens when something goes wrong?
If you can’t answer these clearly, you’re not ready to build yet. Go back to discovery.
Your action plan
Here’s a simple plan to keep the momentum going.
This week: Pick one process you’d like to automate. Write it down. Add it to your Ideas page.
This month: Document it as a workflow. Trigger, steps, output. Identify the AI steps vs automation steps.
This quarter: Either pitch it internally or build a simple version yourself.
Small steps. Consistent progress. That’s how this stuff actually happens.
Your Full guide to Running an AI Automation Project
You’ve got the foundations. But I’m giving you the process and tools you need to run ANY AI automation project from start to finish.
It covers everything we’ve talked about this week, plus detailed checklists, templates, and prompts.
It’s free. Just hop into Notion, and duplicate it.
EXPIRY DATE
The guide will be yours to duplicate (free) for 1 week only. After that I will be making it a paid product.Final day is Sunday 18th January.
One last thing
For all the time I have put into this, I’d appreciate it if you could share my newsletter with just one colleague. That would mean a huge amount to me.
Thanks so much.
Tim