Blog / Small Business Automation

How to Scope an Automation Project on One Page (Template)

By Keyona Meeks, Founder, ReRev Labs · Oct 31, 2026 · 7 min read

The short answer: Before you hire anyone or build anything, write one page with ten answers: what hurts, what starts it, what goes in, what steps happen, what comes out, who owns it, what could go wrong, what you will do by hand, what done looks like, and what it must never do. If you cannot fill a line, that is the gap to close first. The template is below, with a filled example. It is my format, not a standard. We sell build work, so I have a stake in clear scopes.

By the end of this post, you'll be able to:

• Fill in a one-page scope for any single automation.
• Spot the lines people skip and why they matter.
• Hand the page to a freelancer, an agency or a coworker.
• Use the same page to test the finished work.

We sell build work, and I want that said up front. A clear one-page scope helps you whoever builds the work, and it makes the first conversation with us shorter.

Why scope on one page?

A long requirements document gets skimmed. A single page gets read, argued over and fixed. It also forces you to pick one workflow. If the page will not fit one workflow, you have two projects.

If you have a habit of putting plans on one page already, our post on the one-pager that gets things done covers the broader idea. This post applies it to automation.

If you do not yet know which task to scope, start with what to automate first.

What goes on the page?

Ten lines. Copy this and fill it in.

1. NAME: (a short label, for example "Invoice reminder")
2. PROBLEM: What hurts today, in one or two sentences.
   Who feels it, and how often?
3. TRIGGER: What starts it? (a form, a date, a new email, a person)
4. INPUTS: What information goes in, and where does it live now?
5. STEPS: What should happen, in order. Five lines or fewer.
6. OUTPUTS: What comes out, and where does it land?
7. OWNER: One named person who answers for it after launch.
8. EDGE CASES: What could go wrong or look strange?
9. HAND-OFFS: What stays with a person, and who?
10. DONE WHEN: How will we know it works? Write a test.

An eleventh line is worth adding for anything touching money, customer data or regulated records: MUST NEVER: the things the automation may not do. For that kind of work, ask your attorney, insurer or other professional what applies before anyone builds it.

What does a filled-in page look like?

This example is invented.

1. NAME: Quote follow-up
2. PROBLEM: Quotes go out and nobody checks back. About half sit
   unanswered. The owner chases by memory, once a week.
3. TRIGGER: A row is added to the Quotes sheet with status "Sent".
4. INPUTS: Customer name, email, quote amount, date sent.
   Lives in the Quotes sheet.
5. STEPS: Wait 3 days. If status is still "Sent", draft a
   follow-up email. A person reviews and sends.
6. OUTPUTS: A draft in the owner's Gmail drafts. A note in the
   sheet with the date drafted.
7. OWNER: The office manager.
8. EDGE CASES: Customer already replied by phone. Wrong email.
   Two quotes to the same customer. Status changed late.
9. HAND-OFFS: A person reads and sends every email. A person
   updates the status when the customer answers.
10. DONE WHEN: Test with three fake quotes. Two get drafts after
    3 days. One marked "Won" gets none. Nothing is ever sent
    without a person.

Notice what the page does. The edge cases and hand-offs were written before anyone built anything. The done-when line is a test you can run.

Which lines do people skip?

• Owner. Everyone assumes someone will look after it. A named person is a different thing. Plan who fixes it when it breaks before you build, not after.
• Edge cases. These are where the hours go. Ask the person who does the job today what strange cases they handle without thinking.
• Hand-offs. Decide what a person does on purpose. Automating the send of a message that needs judgment is a common mistake.
• Done when. If you cannot write a test, you will argue about whether it works.

How do you use the page with a builder?

1. Give them the page before the first call.
2. Ask them to repeat it back in their own words.
3. Ask which lines they would change and why.
4. Ask what they need from you: access, sample data, answers.
5. Use line 10 as the acceptance test at the end.

If a builder skips the page and starts with tools, ask why. Tools come after the scope.

Where does an LLM fit in this?

An LLM can help with the messy part: turning your rambling description of the problem into a first draft of the ten lines, or asking you the questions you forgot. A person should read every line and correct it, because an LLM will fill a line with a plausible guess and give no sign it guessed. The scope itself is a plain document. My stance: AI writes the code, plain automation runs it, and an LLM shows up only where the input is messy and a person checks the result.

Where this has limits

• The template is mine. It is not a standard and I have not tested it against other formats.
• The example is invented. It is not a client project.
• One page fits one workflow. Large projects need more than this.
• It does not replace advice. For money, customer data or regulated records, ask your attorney, insurer or other professional.
• No ReRev prices and no promises about results.

If you would like us to look at your page, send it or describe the task. Do not send customer data, passwords or login details.

Frequently asked questions

What should an automation scope include?

A problem, a trigger, inputs, steps, outputs, an owner, edge cases, hand-offs and a test for done.

How long should a scope be?

One page for one workflow. If it will not fit, split the project.

Who should fill it in?

The person who does the task today, with whoever will own it afterward.

Do I need this if I build it myself?

It still helps. The page tells you when you are finished.

What is the most skipped line?

The owner. Name one person.

Can an LLM write the scope?

It can draft one. A person has to check every line.

Read next: Questions to ask before you hire automation help once the scope page is filled in and you are talking to people.