Failure Pattern
The Moving Target
The process changes faster than the automation built around it.
What it looks like
- —By the time the build finishes, the process it automated has already changed
- —The team keeps requesting changes mid-build because the real process wasn't stable
- —The automation feels outdated within weeks of shipping
Why it happens
Automating a process while it's still being figured out locks in assumptions that stop being true almost immediately — the process needed to stabilize first, and automation was reached for too early.
How to avoid it
If a process is still changing weekly, that's a signal to stabilize it manually first, not to automate it. Our Automation Approach Finder checks process stability directly before recommending a build.
Related
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