The Automation Playbook
Transform Your Operations with AI-Driven Workflows, Lean Principles, and Process Intelligence to Build Agile, Adaptive Systems That Scale
Most operations teams do not have a technology problem. They have a clarity problem—workarounds patched onto workarounds, dashboards that no one trusts, and automation efforts that quietly stall six months in. The Automation Playbook is a working manual for leaders ready to move past the hype and build systems that actually hold up under pressure.
Eric Uytengsu distills years of hands-on experience into a structured, human-centered approach to operational transformation. Rather than treating AI as a magic layer to bolt onto existing chaos, this book walks you through the foundational thinking that makes intelligent automation sustainable: how to map what truly matters, where to apply machine intelligence for compounding returns, and how to design workflows that adapt as your organization grows.
What You Will Take Away
A clear framework for identifying high-leverage automation opportunities, so effort goes toward processes that move the needle rather than those that simply look modern.
Practical methods for integrating AI into lean operations, bridging the gap between continuous improvement disciplines and modern machine intelligence without forcing either to compromise.
A vocabulary and toolkit for process intelligence, helping teams measure flow, surface bottlenecks, and make decisions grounded in evidence rather than intuition.
Guidance on building adaptive systems at scale, with attention to governance, change management, and the organizational conditions that determine whether new tools take root.
Strategies for keeping people at the center, ensuring automation strengthens teams rather than quietly sidelining the judgment, creativity, and context that only humans can provide.
Patterns for compounding improvement, so each iteration makes the next one easier and the organization becomes more capable with every cycle.
Who This Book Is For
Operations leaders, transformation sponsors, continuous improvement practitioners, and technical founders who sense that the next stage of growth depends on smarter systems, not simply more hours in the week. Readers do not need a background in data science; they need the willingness to question how work is actually done.
About the Approach
What sets The Automation Playbook apart is its insistence on the unglamorous work that precedes transformation. The book is structured to be read in order and returned to later as a reference, with frameworks that translate across industries and a tone that respects the reader's time. Every chapter closes with reflection prompts and implementation notes, making it equally useful for solo reading and for guiding a leadership team through a shared initiative.
The Automation Playbook is a field guide for the operator who has outgrown quick fixes and is ready to build something that lasts.
