The symptom
A small task keeps coming back: fixing an entry, hunting for information, explaining a step again. Each time, you redo it by hand.
The signal
The second time a problem comes back, write it down: it is information.
What’s going on
A repetition shows something: a defect upstream, an unclear instruction, a missing tool. The first time, you sort the case. The second time, you have something to look for the cause with.
At support, several customers ask which document to attach to their file. The information may be missing from the form. It may be there, but unreadable on a phone. Counting the questions tells you where to look. Going to look tells you what to fix.
The calculation has changed. Automating a small repeated task, a spreadsheet that fills itself, a standard reply, a check, often takes an hour with an AI. What was not worth it two years ago is worth it today.
A rare but serious mistake, though, justifies acting the first time.
Check this
For two weeks, note one task that keeps coming back: how often, how long, what varies.
Compare two options: carry on by hand, or try an improvement. Count the time to build it and to maintain it.
Try it, and see whether the effort went down without moving the problem onto someone else.
To discuss
Which task did we redo by hand more than twice this month?