Updated 22 September 2026
Automation can repeat a mistake quickly and at scale. Before launch, you need more than a successful demonstration. You need checks, clear responsibilities and a reliable way to handle exceptions.
Illustrative example: A supplier changes the layout of its invoice. The system reads the amount correctly but misreads the payment date. The problem is not only the extraction error; it is also the lack of a check that would catch it.
The seven questions
1. Which identity does the system use?
Use permissions appropriate to the task and assign responsibility for managing them.
2. What actions are allowed?
Define permitted operations, limits and actions that the system must never perform automatically.
3. When must a person decide?
Base approval requirements on risk, uncertainty and whether an action can be reversed. Not every minor record update needs the same level of approval.
4. What is recorded?
Keep enough information to trace the case, action, applicable rule and approval where required.
5. How will problems be detected?
Define unusual conditions, warnings and the people who receive them.
6. Who owns the process?
Someone must have the authority to change the rules and resolve exceptions.
7. How can the process be stopped and corrected?
Agree how to pause it, use a fallback approach and identify cases affected by an error.
Match the controls to the risk
Too many routine approvals can become meaningless. Too few controls allow mistakes to spread. Test missing data, duplicate inputs, unavailable systems and changes in document formats before launch. Continue reviewing real results afterward.
Related: Security & Governance · Results · Discuss automation controls