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Playbook 02

The Automation Gate Playbook

Reversible / Irreversible is a two-minute test. This playbook turns it into a standing policy your team can apply without asking you, which is the only version that scales.

The problem this solves. Automation decisions get made case by case, usually by whoever is most confident in the meeting. The result is inconsistent risk: trivial things gated, dangerous things automated.

What you will have at the end. A one-page automation policy, a classified list of every external-facing action, and a gate for each irreversible one.

Time required. A single focused session for the policy; roughly a week to classify honestly.

01Why "important" is the wrong axis
02Naming the action precisely enough to classify it
03The undoable test, and its edge cases
04Writing a policy that survives your absence

The module outline for this playbook. Recorded walkthroughs are planned but not yet published — the written playbook stands on its own without them.

DOCOne-page automation policy template
In preparation
XLSAction classification register
In preparation
SOPSOP — escalation and exception handling
In preparation
TXTPrompt library — classification assistant
In preparation

These templates are still being written — nothing here is downloadable yet. Each one is deliberately tool-agnostic, so the Implementation checklist can be run in whatever you already use in the meantime.

Implementation checklist
Every external-facing action named specifically, not by category
Each action classified reversible or irreversible
Irreversible actions routed to a named human
Exceptions logged, then reviewed monthly for pattern
Policy fits on one page and is written in plain language
Common mistakes
01Classifying by importance+

Importance and reversibility are different axes. An important, reversible action is a fine candidate for automation. A trivial, irreversible one is not.

02Treating "we can delete it" as reversible+

If it was seen, it happened. Public actions are irreversible regardless of the delete button.

03A policy longer than a page+

Nobody reads it, so nobody applies it, so you are back to case-by-case.

Where LevelUp Growth shortens this
Classification

LevelUp Growth classifies actions against your policy and routes them automatically. Manually, this is a register and a habit.

Exception log

Captured automatically with full context. Manually, a shared sheet works — if someone owns it.

The playbook does not require it. Each shortcut removes manual work from a process that already runs without it. If you cannot run this playbook by hand, buying software will not fix that.

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