What to prepare before speaking with an automation consultant
The business context that helps an adviser understand your process without requiring a technical brief or predetermined solution.
Bring evidence from the process
You do not need a requirements document. A recent example, the current form or spreadsheet and a description of the normal path provide enough context to begin.
The adviser should help turn this business evidence into options rather than expecting you to select an architecture first.
Useful questions to answer
Keep the answers short and factual. Uncertainty is useful information when it is labelled honestly.
- What event starts the work?
- Who participates and who owns the outcome?
- Where does the process wait, repeat or create errors?
- Which tools contain the information today?
- What would be noticeably easier if the problem were reduced?
Do not hide exceptions
The unusual cases often determine whether a simple configuration is enough or a more tailored workflow is needed. Mention them, but do not let them dominate the first conversation.
A responsible adviser will distinguish the normal path from exceptions and explain which decisions must be made before estimating a solution.