OPERATOR EDITIONTalk to an Advisor
THE AUTOMATION FIELD GUIDE · 5 PHASES · 1 CHASM

The 5-Phase
Automation Framework.

The maturity curve every automation effort climbs — and The Chasm, where DIY efforts die. Watch the overview, click through the curve, then work each phase's companion guide below.

▶ FRAMEWORK OVERVIEW
04 / FrameworkThe Automation Maturity Curve

Most teams
stall at The Chasm.

Five phases take a business from manual chaos to a culture of automation. Phase three is where things look done. Phase four is where most efforts die. QREW Tech is the team that gets you across.

BUSINESS IMPACTAUTOMATION MATURITYTHE CHASMDISCOVERPHASE 01EXPERIMENTPHASE 02ADOPTIONPHASE 03SCALINGPHASE 04CULTUREPHASE 05
* CLICK NODES TO VIEW DETAILS
PHASE 01 · TIME

DISCOVER

VAL · STRATEGY + VISIBILITY

We walk your workflow with you. Map the Time Tax hotspots. Surface the manual processes hiding in spreadsheets, emails, and tribal knowledge. By the end, you have a prioritized list of automation candidates ranked by impact.

PHASE 02 · $

EXPERIMENT

ROI · $10K – $50K

Ship a working proof in days. Real apps, real data, real users — not slideware. You see the value before you commit to the build, and we learn what fits your team before we scale it.

PHASE 03 · $$

ADOPTION

ROI · $50K – $500K

The proof becomes infrastructure. Your team uses it daily. We harden the app, document the runbook, and build the roadmap for what comes next. This is where most engagements feel "done."

CRITICAL TRANSITION

THE CHASM

Where DIY efforts die.

This is the critical transition point where an automation moves from a "cool experiment" to "critical infrastructure." Most organizations fail here because they don’t invest the team and process to support their deployed automations. To cross The Chasm, you must shift from a person to a process — and that’s exactly what we’re built for.

⚠ PERSON-LED
One champion, no backup. Knowledge in someone’s head.
⚠ NO ROADMAP
Built for today’s problem. No plan for tomorrow’s.
⚠ NO GUARDRAILS
Anyone can change anything. Trust erodes fast.
PHASE 04 · $$$

SCALING

ROI · $500K – $1M+

You’ve crossed The Chasm. Now the system multiplies. New apps ship faster because the foundation is in place. The roadmap from Phase 03 starts cashing in. ROI compounds.

PHASE 05 · $$

CULTURE

ROI · MULTIPLIED

Innovation becomes a process instead of a project. With QREW coaches embedded, your teams are building their own apps inside guardrails you trust. This is where Done-by-You earns its name.

Companion GuidesVideos · Tools · Activities · Pro tips
PHASE 01

Discover

Identifying manual processes ready for automation.

Cost: TimeVAL: Strategy + Visibility
TOOLS
  • Automation Diagnostic
  • Process Owner Interviews
  • Business Process Map
  • Value Matrix
KEY ACTIVITIES
  • Gain subjective process data from interviews
  • Map processes in a high-level flow diagram
  • Inventory technology & processes
  • Identify Source of Truth data sources
  • Determine highest value, lowest effort starting point
PRO TIPDON'T SKIP THIS. New software doesn't fix broken processes.
PHASE 02

Experiment

Proof of Concept. Validate in days, not months.

Cost: $ROI: $10k – $50k
COMPANION GUIDE
TOOLS
  • Suitability Assessment
  • Beta Tester Interviews
KEY ACTIVITIES
  • Select a use case & tech stack
  • Build a "Proof of Concept" (MVP)
  • Invite team feedback (iterate 2–3 versions)
  • Reflect on efficacy (pivot if needed)
PRO TIPUse AI for prototyping. Timebox to 2–3 weeks. DON'T OVER BUILD.
PHASE 03

Adoption

Deploy to production & establish the future roadmap.

Cost: $$ROI: $50k – $500k
COMPANION GUIDE
TOOLS
  • Change Logs
  • Basic Documentation
  • Business Process Map
KEY ACTIVITIES
  • Move POC to fully deployed state
  • Train end users & change management
  • Instate app lifecycle controls (updates, QC)
  • Begin roadmapping next apps
PRO TIPFirst month is for stability (bug fixes). Measure impact monthly. Avoid Source of Truth integrations until validated.
PHASE 04

Scaling

Generating new applications and scaling to wider audiences.

Cost: $$$ROI: $500k – $1M+
TOOLS
  • Red Zone App Dev Methodology
  • Performance & Security Audit
KEY ACTIVITIES
  • Improve operational databases
  • Rearchitect for performance bottlenecks
  • Build out the development team
  • Deploy solutions to the max audience
  • Address security vulnerabilities
PRO TIPSolve the developer bottleneck. Get ahead of tech debt. Address single points of failure.
PHASE 05

Culture

Safely empower more teams to build their own automations.

Cost: $$ROI: Multiplied
COMPANION GUIDE
TOOLS
  • Champions Program
  • Hackathons
  • Governance Audit
KEY ACTIVITIES
  • Standardize the "Innovation Stack"
  • Configure governance & compliance controls
  • Activate willing creators
  • Create pathways for fusion team resources
  • Create a community of practice
PRO TIPStart small (2–10 champions). CELEBRATE PROGRESS. Setup semi-annual activation exercises.
How can QREW help?
1

Talk to an Advisor

Is this right for us? We'll help you evaluate if your organization is ready for automation.

2

Deep Dive Discovery

What is ready to automate? We map your workflows to find the highest impact starting point.

3

Proof of Concept

We help you quickly prove the tools & team capability before you commit to scale.