The Boringdots Cheat Sheet

The 9 steps

1. Business goal Define the outcome the business cares about. Skip this and you automate the wrong thing.
2. Workflow Map the work as it actually happens, not as the handbook describes it.
3. Data Find the source of truth. If the data is dirty, build a preparation pipeline before the main workflow.
4. People Confirm the humans involved can test, adapt, give feedback, and fall back manually.
5. ROI and safety Two decisions, not one. High ROI does not override low safety.
6. Input and output Classify what comes in and what must come out. This drives the next decision.
7. RAG or deterministic RAG is the right answer when input is fuzzy. Deterministic is the right answer when output must be exact.
8. Error handling and retry Design failure paths before the happy path. Retry has limits, delays, a final failed state, and a notification.
9. Documentation and maintenance Write for the humans and future agents who will inherit the workflow.

When to use this sheet

• Before you open any automation tool.
• When a stakeholder asks for a workflow that has not been mapped.
• When an automation that worked in demo stops working in production.
• When a teammate proposes a new automation idea.
• When you inherit a workflow you did not build.

Where to go next

• The 9-step framework

  The full method with examples.

• Why automations fail

  The hook in one read.

• All notes

  Deeper dives on specific framework steps.