---
name: minimalist-automation
description: Use when a manual workflow is a candidate for automation and its repetition, stability, value, maintenance cost, and failure handling need evaluation.
---

# Minimalist Automation

Resolve automation.md from <plugin-root>/templates/ and the automation
contract from <plugin-root>/references/artifact-contracts.md.

Treat automation as a design decision after the workflow has been observed,
understood, and stabilized. Automating a one-off or changing process can
preserve waste and create maintenance cost.

## Read

Use the retrospective, workflow evidence, existing manual steps, failure
history, and <plugin-root>/templates/automation.md. If the workflow is not repeated or its
behavior is still changing, record a candidate and defer implementation.

## Evaluate

Document stability evidence and:

- workflow and owner;
- successful repetitions and current frequency;
- stable inputs, outputs, and variations;
- expected time, error, risk, or learning benefit;
- implementation and maintenance cost;
- failure impact and recovery;
- trigger, inputs, outputs, observability, and rollback;
- decision-maker and next validation.

Prefer removing or simplifying a step before automating it. Automate the
smallest stable unit that preserves the intended outcome.

## Decision gate

Recommend implementation only when:

- the workflow is repeated often enough to justify maintenance;
- the desired behavior is understood;
- manual variation is bounded;
- expected value exceeds build and maintenance cost;
- failures are observable and recoverable;
- ownership is explicit.

Otherwise choose defer, simplify first, or reject. Record the reason; do not
turn a deferred candidate into hidden sprint scope.

## Handoff

If approved, create a new backlog story linked to automation.md and select it in
a future sprint. If rejected or deferred, preserve the candidate in the
retrospective or backlog. After automation exists, verify that it reduces work
without introducing hidden complexity.