Almost anything that repeats identically can move into a workflow. The right question isn't what can be automated, but what deserves to be.
Start with what repeats
The best starting point isn't a tool, it's a week of work. Look at what keeps coming back: data entry, reminders, copying and pasting between two programs, checks done by hand. If someone applies the same rule every time, without having to think, that task can run by itself.
On the other hand, a task that is rare or different every time is a poor fit for automation: building it often takes longer than the time it would save.
The usual candidates
They are often the same: invoice reminders, updating the CRM from a form, notifying the right person at the right time, syncing two tools that don't talk to each other, the report rebuilt by hand every Monday.
These flows have something in common: a clear trigger, rules you can write down and a result you can check.
What is better left to a person
A high-stakes decision, an exception, a delicate conversation with a client. Automation can prepare the file and alert the right person, but that person makes the call. Keeping a human in the loop isn't a weakness: it's what makes the system trustworthy.
Where to start
One flow, the one that costs the most time or causes the most errors. We connect the tools you already have first, through APIs and webhooks, before thinking about adding another. Every run leaves a trace, so you know what happened and can fix it fast.
Once this first flow is running and the team has adopted it, the next one becomes an easy decision.