Where to start with AI automation (without boiling the ocean)

Most automation programs fail not because the technology doesn't work, but because teams try to automate everything at once. Start by mapping your team's most repetitive, highest-volume process — the one people complain about weekly, not the one that sounds most impressive. Automate that first, measure the impact in hours saved and error rate, and use the result to build the case for the next process. Small, visible wins compound faster than one large, risky rollout.