You don’t need a data team to put your first agent to work. You need one boring workflow, one owner and thirty days. This is the exact plan we run on every deployment.

Days 1–3: the ops audit

Shadow the team, list every repetitive task and size the hours at stake. Rank them by volume × pain × risk. The winner is usually hiding in a shared inbox.

Days 4–7: the blueprint

Write the job description, the playbooks and the limits. Decide exactly when a human takes over — and what they’ll see when they do.

Pick the most boring workflow you have. Boring is where the hours are.

Days 8–18: build and shadow

Connect the tools, then let the agent work beside your team without sending anything. Compare every draft with what a human did. Ship only when accuracy clears the bar.

Days 19–30: first shift

• Go live on one workflow, one channel.

• Review the morning report daily for two weeks.

• Tune playbooks weekly, then monthly.

• Only then add the second job.