Ever feel like your team is constantly busy, but the results take forever to show? Chances are, the issue lies in your processes—or more specifically, in how they’re being executed. Running a process diagnosis is the first step toward shifting from fire-fighting mode to a smart operation.
But don’t worry—this doesn’t require an expensive consultant or a months-long project. All you need is to start with the right questions. In this post, you’ll find 5 simple (yet powerful) questions that help uncover inefficiencies and pinpoint exactly where time is slipping away.
Plus, we’ll show you how to tackle those bottlenecks using process automation, cross-team integration, and AI Agents—especially when powered by Pipefy’s solutions.
1. Where Do Processes Tend to Get Stuck or Delayed?
It might sound obvious, but this step often gets skipped. A solid diagnosis starts by identifying where things stall. You know that point where a task needs someone’s approval—but they’re in a meeting, on vacation, or just forgot? That’s a bottleneck, right there.
How to fix it:
Use automated workflows for approvals. With tools like Pipefy, you can set up rules that route tasks automatically, send alerts, and even trigger backup plans if someone doesn’t respond on time. With AI Agents, you can even predict these bottlenecks before they become a real issue.
2. How Many Hands Touch the Process Before It’s Done?
The more people involved, the greater the risk of delays, miscommunication, and rework. Many workflows may look collaborative on the surface but are actually clogged with unnecessary checkpoints.
This question helps you identify redundant steps or unclear responsibilities.
How to fix it:
Simplify the flow using process automation. With Pipefy, you can map out the entire workflow, clearly defining who does what and when. And if a robot or AI Agent can handle part of the job, even better.
Bonus tip: Learn how to build customized workflows to save time and boost productivity.
3. How Much Time Is Wasted Waiting for Responses or Approvals?
This is one of the biggest time drains. In many companies, processes stall because they rely on manual interactions—emails, chat messages, phone calls… The approval takes too long, the task sits idle, and the customer (internal or external) is left waiting.
How to fix it:
Automate your approval flows. With Pipefy, you can trigger responsible parties automatically, set deadlines, and send reminders. Even better: with smart automation, approvals can be handled automatically based on predefined criteria (like value ranges or request types).
4. How Do Teams Communicate During the Process?
Processes involving multiple departments are prone to communication breakdowns. Marketing hands something off to Sales, which depends on Finance, which waits on Legal… and so on. Lack of integration is a classic culprit.
How to fix it:
One of the most effective solutions is to centralize the workflow. With Pipefy, you can create integrated pipelines where every team knows what they need to do. Automation helps hand tasks off between teams without confusion. And AI Agents can even redirect requests automatically, based on business rules or learned behavior.
5. Which Repetitive Tasks Are Draining Your Team’s Time?
If there’s one thing machines do better than humans, it’s repetition. Copying spreadsheets, sending standard emails, checking documents—these tasks eat up time and energy.
How to fix it:
This is prime territory for process automation and AI Agents. An AI agent can auto-classify requests, fill out information, or respond to FAQs. Automated workflows take care of repetitive actions, freeing your team to focus on work that actually needs human intelligence.
What Comes After the Diagnosis?
These five questions give you everything you need for a solid process assessment. The next step? Action.
The good news is you don’t need to start from scratch. Platforms like Pipefy offer ready-to-use solutions to digitize, automate, and optimize your workflows—without writing a single line of code. The system is fully no-code and makes it easy to connect teams, orchestrate complex flows, and deploy automations in just a few clicks.
What’s more, AI Agents are becoming increasingly common in business operations, with powerful results: less rework, more predictability, and faster decision-making.
Bottom Line: Efficiency Isn’t a Luxury—It’s Survival
Companies still operating with manual, fragmented, email-based processes are quite literally losing time and money. A well-executed process diagnosis is the fastest way out of that trap.
By answering simple questions like the ones we’ve shared here, you expose where time is being wasted—and open the door to smart solutions, from automation to fully autonomous AI Agents.
And the best part? All of this is possible today with the most intuitive and powerful process automation platform on the market—Pipefy. Click the button below to book a demo and leave fire-fighting mode behind for good.
