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The Process of Elimination

S1. Episode: 5
Are You Automating the Wrong Things?

In this episode of Process of Elimination, Ryan Edwards, co-founder of Camino5, joins co-host Justin L. Brown. Together, they unpack the automation trap: the seductive promise of speed that often leads to elegant chaos, fractured workflows, and confused teams.

Are You Automating the Wrong Things?

You’ll learn:

Why automation feels productive (but often isn’t)

How to know when your workflow has gone too far

The “duct tape tech stack” warning signs

Why friction points are essential for performance

What golf carts, AI ad loops, and Zapier flows have in common

Frances’s live SOP cameo — how to run automation in real time

The 4 key questions to audit any automation flow:

1. Is it saving time or just shifting it?

2. Is clarity going up or down?

3. Are decisions happening faster or just relayed faster?

4. Is the team more focused or just more active?

“Slow is smooth. Smooth is fast.”

— Ryan Edwards, Co-founder of Camino5

Episode Glossary

  • Artificial intelligence that can create new content, such as text, images, or code, based on input data or prompts.

  • A quantifiable metric used to track and evaluate the success of activities or processes in relation to a Goal and overall Outcome. KPIs are often at the team or individual level (e.g., number of leads generated, average time to resolve a bug, volume of content produced).

  • Autonomous or semi-autonomous AI programs designed to perform tasks or series of tasks on behalf of a user, often interacting with other systems or data.

  • A process where a system continuously refines its output or performance based on feedback or data. Without human intervention, these loops can become too narrow.

Episode FAQ

  • Friction points in a workflow are often the most critical steps, requiring careful attention and considered decisions. Eliminating all friction through automation can lead to rushing through processes without the necessary awareness or checks and balances, potentially leading to errors or missed opportunities. Just like speed bumps in a parking lot slow you down to help you navigate safely and find a spot, workflow friction forces you to pause, be aware, and make better decisions.

  • When implemented correctly after a thorough process audit, automation shouldn't just speed up existing work. Instead, it should free up team members from repetitive, low-value tasks. This freed-up time should be intentionally planned and directed towards higher-value activities, such as more strategic thinking, creative problem-solving, collaboration, and analyzing broader implications of the work. The goal is to enable teams to be more focused and strategic, not just more active.

  • Automation often feels productive because it provides immediate feedback in the form of notifications and completed micro-steps. This can trick individuals and teams into believing they are achieving something, even if the overall goal or Key Performance Indicator (KPI) isn't moving. This feeling is reinforced by a workplace culture that has historically valued these smaller actions and notifications over ultimate outcomes.

  • Ensuring automation leads to better understanding requires maintaining a human in the loop, even when processes are highly automated. This involves designing the automation so that human oversight focuses on analyzing insights and clarity rather than granular details. For instance, instead of simply generating reports faster, automation should allow humans to spend more time interpreting the "why" behind the data and using those insights to drive outcomes. If clarity starts to decrease, it's a sign that the underlying system or the automation itself needs to be re-evaluated and adjusted, potentially by reintroducing more human intervention at key points.

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Process Of Elimination Episodes

  • S1E1: Your SOP Is Broken and AI Is About to Prove It

    In this first episode of Process of Elimination (POE), Ryan Edwards, Co-founder of Camino5, and Justin L. Brown unpack the real reason AI rollouts fail inside teams

    ▶ Watch Ep. 1

  • S1E2: Why AI Should Make You Dangerous

    Unpack why the true advantage of AI isn’t speed, but what you do with the time and insights it creates.

    ▶ Watch Ep. 2

  • S1E3 Why Smart Teams Audit During, Not After #AI

    The most overlooked AI move is the audit. Not flowcharts or jargon. Just simple check-ins that sharpen your system.

    ▶ Watch Ep. 3

  • S1E4 How to Preserve Brand Voice While Scaling with AI

    The hidden risk in AI content workflows? Brand voice drift. It starts small, but over time your message can lose its edge and feel replaceable.

    ▶ Watch Ep. 4

  • S1E5 Are You Automating the Wrong Things?

    Automation can save you time — but only if your system actually works. Otherwise, you’re scaling chaos.

    ▶ Watch Ep. 5