Look for repetition with clear rules
Good candidates often involve repeated copying, routine checks or status updates with known inputs and outputs. Start by observing the work rather than assuming that every manual step is unnecessary.
Map the complete journey
Follow a task from its trigger to completion. Identify where information arrives, who approves it and what happens when something is missing. Automating one step can move the bottleneck elsewhere if the wider journey is overlooked.
Keep people in the right places
Exceptions and decisions may need human review. A useful automation can prepare information, flag inconsistencies and present an approval rather than making a decision that the team cannot explain.
Measure before and after
Record the current time, error patterns and repeated effort. After a pilot, compare the same measures and gather feedback from the people doing the work. Use that evidence to decide whether to expand the automation.
Make ownership explicit
Define who maintains the rules, reviews failures and can pause the process. Document the fallback so a temporary system problem does not stop the business from operating.