Exception overload makes automation brittle

If you want to understand why so many automations disappoint, stop looking at the tool and start looking at the exceptions. Exceptions are the stories people tell themselves to justify complexity. This customer is different. This region needs a special format. This one approval is mandatory. This ERP upload is a unique requirement. One or two exceptions are fine. A pile of them turns your workflow into a fragile museum of workarounds, where nothing is standard, and every improvement breaks...