Chain Reaction Ep. 33: Speed Vs Stability: The Hidden Cost Of Automation

Rosana Fuentes, Implementation Consultant at Baxter Planning, has watched countless automation projects fail - and the failures are rarely technical. A well-designed system built on garbage data produces garbage faster. Processes that aren't documented clearly become processes that automation breaks in new ways. Teams unprepared for system-driven thinking make decisions that cascade through automated workflows in unexpected directions. Automation done correctly is genuinely transformative. But Rosana's experience suggests that most organisations approach it backwards: buy the software, implement the system, then deal with the fallout. The right sequence is harder. First, map and clean your data. Second, document the processes you actually follow - not the ones you think you follow. Third, involve the people who will live inside the system from day one. Only then do the technical layers matter. For supply chain leaders considering automation projects, this distinction is critical. Technology won't fix messy operations - it will just turn messy operations into expensive messy operations. Rosana's conversation covers what she's seen work and what consistently doesn't. The cost of skipping preparation is always higher than doing it right. Her perspective from years inside planning and logistics systems gives practical weight to what sounds like common sense but rarely gets done.