Penny Cat…

Thinking about 2022 and the upcoming holidays . My son received an early gift . It’s aptly named Penny Cat. It got its name… Well because it grabs pennies .

There is something to learn here I promise. Although I have to say I’m glad this Cat is not called quarter cat ha!

Ok, so this Penny Cat, a gamified piggy bank is neat. However, it is also a type of #automation. Although, this automation is literally the worst kind of automation. This is an example of an automation that should at least in business not exist as it does not add value. Sure the interface is fun and does make you want to put a lot of pennies there for the cat to grab. However, if the end goal is to collect pennies and put them in the bank… Well, it does work, but in the end that wanna-be Schrödinger’s cat in the box still takes batteries and when they are empty. The cat will no longer be grabbing pennies for kicks.

In automation. Sometimes teams may build things that may end up being Penny Cats! If you don’t have your Automation #COE – Center of Excellence going back and providing governance for old or legacy processes. I can promise you will be losing ‘pennies’ per run on some of these potential penny cats.

To avoid this trap. Always, always ask ‘why’, why is this process an issue, why is it slow and is being asked to be automated. Where does this go, and who is next? Make an attempt to understand the upstream and downstream of the ask.

Lastly, since the holidays are here, feel free to share your opened gifts that have automation built in. I would love to see other examples and the community would too.

Have a fantastic time with you and yours. Be safe and please don’t feed your #cats pennies.

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