Start an internal tooling inventory without a perfect spreadsheet
A practical way to list scripts, shared trackers, and shadow bots before you debate automation priorities.
Most teams wait for a complete catalogue before talking about automation. That wait becomes the project. In Bangkok engagements we ask sponsors for a messy first pass: name of the tool, who opens it weekly, what breaks when it fails, and whether anyone owns updates.
Columns that matter
Keep the first sheet short. Add licence cost later. Add integration diagrams later. Early columns should answer: Is this still used? Who gets paged? What decision does it support?
Interview before you tidy
People under-report unofficial trackers until you ask about the last time a shipment stalled. Those stories reveal tools that never appear in the IT asset list.
What comes next
Once the inventory exists, ranking automation work becomes an argument about outcomes instead of opinions about vendors. That is the point where a Workflow Automation Planning session earns its fee.