Most automation efforts fail because teams optimize for speed of the first run, not reliability of the thousandth run.
Start with workflow mapping
Before writing code, map the exact steps, branching paths, and failure points in the current process. Include who owns each step and what decisions still require humans.
Design for retries and idempotency
Treat every action as re-runnable. Build idempotent operations, queue-based execution, and clear retry budgets so transient failures do not become manual incidents.
Separate collection from transformation
Keep browser automation isolated from normalization and business logic. This separation makes incident response faster and prevents one failure mode from cascading.
Add observability from day one
Log every run with trace IDs, store snapshots for debugging, and define alert thresholds for slowdowns, failure spikes, and stale data.
Operationalize handoff
Document runbooks, escalation paths, and ownership. If a system only the original builder can fix, it is not production-ready.