94%
of surveyed SMB knowledge workers said repetitive, time-consuming tasks were part of their role.
Zapier, State of Business AutomationWorkflow Automation
Remove repetitive work from one workflow at a time.
North improves the workflow first, then connects the tools, rules, approvals and handoffs needed to run it reliably.
17.3 hrs
per week was the average time surveyed SMB knowledge workers spent on dreaded repetitive tasks.
Zapier, Most Dreaded Tasks58%
of the workday went to work about work in Asana’s study of 9,615 knowledge workers.
Asana, Anatomy of Work 202364%
of people surveyed said they struggled to find enough time and energy to do their job.
Microsoft, Work Trend Index 2023A reliable automation is more than a trigger and an action.
A dependable flow checks the input, applies the rules, routes the work and makes exceptions visible.
Trigger
A defined event starts the workflow from an agreed source.
Trigger
Validate
Route
Validate
Required data, permissions and conditions are checked before work continues.
Input
Check
Process
Do the work
Rules and integrations handle the repeatable part of the job.
Event
Rule
Approve
Review
Route
Work reaches the correct person, system or next step with context.
Run
Handle
Notify
How we deliver
Map it, build it, then watch it work
Best suited to teams with a repeated workflow, a clear owner and enough operational friction to justify a focused improvement.
Talk to NorthMap the work We document the current workflow, its owner, volume, friction, systems and exceptions.
01Design the new flow We agree the rules, data, approvals, failure paths and conditions for success.
02Build and test We connect the systems, build the workflow and test it against realistic cases.
03Watch and improve We monitor live operation, resolve failure patterns and expand only when the evidence supports it.
04
Start with the smallest useful fix.
Each engagement has a clear purpose. We confirm scope and next steps once we understand the workflow, connected systems, ownership and likely failure points.
Automation Opportunity Check
A focused first look at one workflow to decide whether automation is worth pursuing.
Typical scope
- Workflow and owner
- Manual effort
- Systems involved
- Main friction
- Initial business case
Talk to North
Focused 20–30 minute conversation
Workflow Sprint
Improve and implement one bounded workflow or a small set of closely related system steps.
Typical scope
- Workflow mapping
- Rules and integrations
- Exception paths
- Testing and monitoring
- Documentation and handover
Talk to North
Typically 2–4 weeks
Connected Operations
Connect related workflows where deeper integrations, approvals or focused interfaces are required.
Typical scope
- Related workflow design
- Deeper system integration
- Approvals and exceptions
- Reporting
- Focused operational interfaces
Talk to North
Typically 4–10 weeks
Automation Care
Defined ongoing monitoring, maintenance and controlled improvement after launch.
Typical scope
- Monitoring and fixes
- Small improvements
- New rules
- Periodic workflow review
- Defined allowance and response boundary
Talk to North
Monthly engagement
Automate the work that earns it.
Frequency, clear rules and the cost of mistakes determine how far automation should go.
Automate repeatable work. Frequent tasks with stable rules and predictable inputs are the strongest candidates.
Assist work that needs judgment. Prepare, classify or route the work while a person remains responsible for the decision.
Keep uncertain work human. Simplify low-volume tasks and retain human ownership where context, risk or exceptions dominate.
Talk to NorthFor ownership. Every workflow has a named owner who knows when to act.
Before work continues. Inputs, permissions and approvals are checked against clear rules.
When something breaks. Exceptions, safe retries and useful alerts make recovery obvious.
When something fails, make the next action clear and easy to follow.
Use AI for one useful job inside a controlled workflow.
For preparation. AI can extract, classify or summarise information before a person acts.
For review. Drafts and recommendations remain visible and require approval where consequences matter.
For control. Inputs, access, exceptions and usefulness are defined before the model enters the workflow.
Frequently AskedQuestions
Which repeated workflow is slowing the team down?
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