Case №03 · WORK · 90 MIN · MEDIUM

Automate Your Weekly Report

Weekly reports are the same skeleton refilled with new numbers — which makes them the highest-value automation target in office life.

AI or DIY?

OUTCOME: A pipeline that collects your week's numbers and drafts the report before you open your laptop Friday morning.

Document A

The Spec Sheet

> for the machine · speed · precision

Wire your data sources straight into an AI drafting step.

Required

Zapier / Make / n8n (free tiers ok)
OpenAI / Anthropic API key
Your data source (Sheets, Jira, CRM export…)

1
Pick one report, define inputs
Write down exactly what goes in: 3 metrics from Sheets, closed tickets from Jira, notes field. One source per automation trigger.
2
Build the flow
Trigger: schedule Fri 7 AM. Step 1: pull data. Step 2: send to LLM with a prompt like 'Draft a weekly update for my manager from this data. Confident tone, bullet points, flag anything below target.' Step 3: email/Slack it to you.
3
Add guardrails
Instruct the model to never invent numbers — only use provided data, mark gaps as [NEEDS INPUT]. Review the first 3 outputs closely.
4
Ship it
Once trust is built, deliver straight to stakeholders and keep yourself as CC'd reviewer.

EFFICIENCY NOTE: ~90 minutes setup, then ~100 minutes saved every week. Pays for itself in week one.

Document B

The Worksheet

— for your hands · craft · patience

No-code-free version: a template + a ritual that halves the effort today.

Materials

One-page report template (structure never changes)
Saved filters/views in each data source
A recurring 15-min calendar block

1
Freeze the structure
Sections: Headline → Wins → Numbers table → Risks → Asks. Write section headers once, forever.
2
Create saved views
In each tool, save the exact filter ('my tickets closed this week'). Monday-you should never rebuild queries Friday-you needs.
3
Batch the collection
Friday 9:00–9:15, collect all numbers into the template in one sitting. No tab-switching during the week.
4
Keep a running wins log
One line per win, noted when it happens. Friday becomes assembly, not archaeology.

OLD-HAND TIP: The template IS the automation. Structure decided once removes hundreds of micro-decisions later.

// the verdict

Filed & Decided

If your data already lives in connected tools, automate now. If it lives in five different people's heads, build the DIY discipline first — then automate.

// common failure modes

✕Letting the AI invent plausible-sounding numbers (always cite sources)
✕Automating a report nobody reads — kill those instead
✕Building for a format that changes weekly; stabilize structure first

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Home

Automate Your Weekly Report

The Spec Sheet

Pick one report, define inputs

Build the flow

Add guardrails

Ship it

The Worksheet

Freeze the structure

Create saved views

Batch the collection

Keep a running wins log

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