Effective automation begins by understanding the WHY behind your efforts. Don’t rush into complex pipelines. First, ensure you’re solving a real, worthwhile problem. My approach focuses on small, measured steps to validate assumptions before committing to full automation. 1️⃣ Define the Problem Clearly: What are you trying to solve? Manual provisioning? Error-prone deployments? 2️⃣ Validate with Minimal Effort: Test your idea with a small script or a one-off deployment. Avoid wasted effort. 3️⃣ Manual Proof of Concept: Try a hands-on trial run to see if it really saves time or reduces errors. 4️⃣ Incremental Validation: Break it down and test each step. Ensure each part adds value. 5️⃣ Automate When Ready: Once proven, invest in full automation with CI/CD, security checks, and documentation. 🔍 Want to go deeper? Check out the coursework in ScaleOps Hub — I cover this process in detail and provide actionable strategies to automate effectively. 👉 Join the discussion and level up your automation game!