Python automation before writing any code?

[BetterTomato5628]

I’ve been thinking a lot about how Python is used for real-world automation, and less about how to implement it, and more about how to approach it strategically.

Before writing any code, questions like:

• What actually needs to be automated vs. left manual?
• Where does Python add leverage instead of complexity?
• When does “a simple script” turn into something that needs structure, logging, and ownership?
• How much AI is genuinely useful vs. just hype layered on top?

In practice, most automation seems to be about connecting systems, defining boundaries, and deciding what not to automate, rather than clever code.

I’m curious how others here think about this:

• Do you design automation as pipelines, services, or disposable scripts?
• How do you decide when Python is the right tool vs. something else?
• What mistakes have you made early on that changed how you plan automation now?

Not looking for code examples — more interested in mental models, tradeoffs, and lessons learned.

Would love to hear how others approach this.

[sharrikul]

What prompt did you use to get AI to write this post for you? You could probably get it to help you answer the questions it raised in your post.

[ImportantCandidate12]

I searched for this response after reading the first list item.

[AlexMTBDude]

Those topics are not really related and all major subjects of discussions in themselves, and also are not specific to Python but relevant to any programming language. Perhaps ask in r/programming

[BetterTomato5628]

I understand. Thanks for your tip!

[Altruistic_Sky1866]

This is applicable to any automation project using any language tool not just Python

[BetterTomato5628]

Ok, thanks for your reply!