Delete the report before you automate it: the test most owners skip

Description and use

The two‑week silence test determines if a report is truly needed. If no one requests it, delete it to save staff time and avoid unnecessary automation.

Problem

Many recurring reports are automated without verifying if they are actually used, leading to wasted effort and resources.

Outcome

The silence test reveals whether a report is truly needed; unused reports can be deleted, saving time and avoiding wasteful automation.

Workflow

• Pick a recurring report to test. Tell the compiler privately to pause it. Do not announce the pause to recipients. Wait two weeks. Observe if anyone asks for the report. If no one asks, delete the report and reallocate the hours.
• If someone asks within days, investigate how they use it and consider a more focused automation (e.g., alerts).

Evidence

The most common outcome, in my experience, and the most valuable. You have just found out that a slice of someone's week was being spent on nothing.

Source

The right system, then, is not an automated version of the weekly sheet. It is an exception alert: a message only when a party crosses its credit limit or its balance jumps past the agreed period.

Source