The Automation Roadmap: Build Your Team's First 90-Day Plan
Jacob Eells
Ops automation builder, not hype
The hardest part of automation isn't the tool, it's the choice
Most ops leaders don't lack automation ideas. They lack a way to decide which one to build first.
So the backlog piles up, "we should really automate that" gets said in every team meeting and acted on in none of them, and the moment someone's out sick or volume spikes, the whole operation turns into firefighting instead of running itself.
This isn't a tools workshop. You won't be comparing platforms or writing a line of code. You'll work through the same framework I use to audit real teams, applied live to your own, and leave with a prioritised roadmap: what to build first, what to leave alone, and a version of the case you can actually take to your own leadership.
If you've said "we should automate that" and watched nothing happen, this is built for exactly that gap.
What you’ll learn
Turn "we should automate that" into a prioritised 90-day plan you can defend to your own leadership.
Learn to separate the loudest manual process from the one actually worth fixing first.
Use a simple time-and-friction audit template to map where your team's hours actually go.
Walk through a live audit example from a real support team, before you run your own.
Score each opportunity on effort, impact, and risk using a simple weighted matrix.
Practice ranking your own team's shortlist live, with feedback from the group.
Learn to spot the "easy but pointless" automation that eats a sprint for nothing.
Use a simple decision tree to separate rules-based automation from AI-assisted tasks.
See a real example where automation alone solved it, and one where AI was needed.
Avoid the common trap of reaching for AI on a problem that never needed it.
Fill in a 90-day roadmap template live, sequencing your top 3 to 5 opportunities.
Learn how to sequence quick wins against longer builds so momentum doesn't stall.
Leave with a working draft, not a blank page to finish "when you find time."
Use a one-page pitch template that translates your roadmap into cost and time saved.
See how a real automation case was pitched and signed off, and why it worked.
Learn to frame automation asks around risk and capacity, not just efficiency.
Learn why "hours saved" is the wrong metric to track, and what to use instead.
See a real before-and-after of a team that got time back but no capacity gain.
Build a simple habit for checking whether reclaimed time is actually being used well.
Workshop agenda
Welcome: automation isn't new, you're already doing it (10 min)
See why automation isn't a new skill you're missing, using an example you already use today, and set expectations for the session ahead.
Group share: the problem you came here to solve (10 min)
Share the specific frustration you want to fix with the group, so today's exercises can be applied directly to your own situation.
AI vs. automation: how they differ and complement each other (20 min)
Learn the practical difference between automation and AI, when each one applies, and why conflating them leads to the wrong solution.
Working session: auditing your team's real pain points (25 min)
Apply a structured audit to your own team, separating the loudest complaints from the processes actually worth fixing first.
The real cost of inaction, for leaders and the people affected (15 min)
Understand what delaying automation actually costs, in leadership risk and capacity, and in morale for the people doing the manual work.
Why modest framing earns more trust than big AI claims (15 min)
Learn why underselling an automation and letting it over perform builds more trust with your team than announcing a big transformation.
From "just a job" to genuine buy-in: automation as an engagement lever (15 min)
See how removing repetitive drudgery changes how frontline staff feel about their role, and why that builds belief in the product itself.
Working session: sequencing your 90-day roadmap (35 min)
Turn your audit into a prioritised, sequenced 90-day roadmap for your own team, the core deliverable you leave the session with.
Building the pitch: making your case to leadership (15 min)
Turn your roadmap into a pitch that translates automation into cost, risk, and capacity terms leadership will actually act on.
Wrap-up, Q&A, and next steps (10 min)
Ask questions, get feedback on your roadmap, and leave with clear next steps for putting it into action back at work.
Learn directly from Jacob
Jacob Eells
CS leader who cut 68hrs/week of manual work with automation, not hype.
Who this workshop is for
For newly appointed ops managers who've inherited a messy process and no clear plan for fixing it first.
For people managers, new or experienced, who want their team's time spent on judgement, not repetitive admin.
For builders who already automate on instinct, but want a repeatable method instead of one-off wins.
What's included
Live sessions
Learn directly from Jacob Eells in a real-time, interactive format.
Lifetime access
Go back to course content and recordings whenever you need to.
Community of peers
Stay accountable and share insights with like-minded professionals.
Certificate of completion
Share your new skills with your employer or on LinkedIn.
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Frequently asked questions
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