Workflow automation: definition

Workflow automation is the practice of moving a repeatable business process from manual steps to a system that runs it end to end, with a person involved only where judgement is actually needed.

Most "AI projects" a small business needs are really automation projects with a model in one or two steps. The win is not the model, it is removing the copy-paste between the inbox, the spreadsheet, and the tool nobody likes opening.

We scope these by following where the hours go, automating the deterministic parts first, and adding a model only where the task genuinely needs language or judgement.

Related terms

AI agent: An AI agent is a system that uses a language model to decide which steps to take and which tools to call to finish a goal, instead of just answering a single prompt.
Human in the loop: Human in the loop is a design where an AI system does the work but a person reviews, approves, or handles the cases the system is unsure about, keeping judgement and accountability with a human.
Model Context Protocol (MCP): The Model Context Protocol is an open standard that lets an AI model connect to external tools and data sources through one consistent interface, instead of a custom integration for each one.