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

Описание и применение

Тест «тихий период» позволяет определить, действительно ли отчёт нужен. Если за две недели никто не запрашивает его, его можно удалить, экономя время сотрудников и избегая бесполезной автоматизации.

Задача

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

Результат

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

Рабочий процесс

• 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).

Доказательства

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.

Источник

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.

Источник