Planning Effective Automations

Core Concept

The difference between a smooth build and a frustrating one often comes down to whether you planned first. Even minutes of planning saves hours of fixing.

The more complex the automation, the more this matters. A three step Zap can often be built on the fly, but a 15 to 30 step workflow requires planning.

What Happens Without Planning

Here's the typical scenario when you skip planning:

• You start building, things are going well;
• You realize you need data that wasn't captured in your trigger;
• You restructure;
• You discover a conditional path you didn't consider;
• You add a Path, but it disrupts data flow for other actions;
• You restructure again;
• Two hours later, your Zap looks like spaghetti;
• You're not even sure what it does anymore;
• You've discovered three edge cases that might break everything;

This happens to everyone who skips planning. The alternative is simple spend a few minutes mapping out what you are building before opening Zapier.

Start with the basics by clearly defining the problem you are solving and the end result you want, expressed in a single sentence.

• When a new lead submits the form, they get added to the CRM and sales gets notified.;

• When an order is placed, inventory is updated and the customer receives a confirmation;

• When an article is published, it gets shared across social media channels.