Self-Evaluating a New Automation Idea

Try writing a short description that explains your automation

In just a sentence or two, explain the repetitive thing you have to do, and the benefit of automating it. Your description should be clear enough so that developers will understand what it does, but not use too much jargon so less technical users can understand how it might help them. Coming up with this brief summary can help you clarify your idea, so it may take a few iterations to refine it.

For tips on how to to this, read the guide for writing a description of your automation

See if there are already tools that try to solve this problem

Check major code repositories and developer communities (GitHub, StackOverflow, NPM) to see if there are already similar tools. If there are, describe how your idea makes things easier or takes a different approach. For example would it be more efficient, or unattached to another project?

Think of who your automation will help and what problems it solves

Describe who your automation will help and how. Also, consider what help you might need with your automation. Do you have the code and need an interface? Do you have a mock-up of your idea and need help with the code? Think about less technical needs, like writing and testing.

Consider the time your idea would take to develop compared to the time saved

Try to convey a sense of how much time it might take to fully develop your idea, and how much time your automation could save compared to how things are done now. Does it solve a small problem for a lot of people? A big problem for a few?

Start documenting your idea

Look at the guide for creating a good ReadMe and based on your idea, try to fill out what you know. This should help you understand what questions you’ll need to answer as you develop your automation. If you’ve already started working on your automation, describe how you expect it to work (what triggers it, what the result will be) and what the requirements are (language, platform, dependencies).

Propose your automation

Once you’re ready, fill out the Automation Proposal which will add your automation as a Future Automations issue.