I often think about how much accumulated time we (humans) spend doing trivial things like transcribing invoice details into an accounting system, for example. I think about this quite intentionally at the moment, because I'm flexing and testing my own automation mindset. Automation is a step beyond the typical business process investment proposition: invest in process now to save us from repitition and errors later.
Checklists are a great example of this. They're not about speed; they're about comprehensiveness and reliability. This matters any time quality is important, and especially so when "quality" is primarily about safety.
Once we have a process in place, we can start to automate it. This is where the real value comes in.
In the distant past I've shyed away from implementing automated processes because doing so seemed cumbersome and error prone. But this needn't be as true anymore.
So the question becomes: what's the cost of not automating?
It's addictive once you get started.
Building an automation mindset isn't about eliminating the human element. It's about freeing ourselves (and our teams) from repetitive tasks so we can focus our collective energy on innovation and creativity.