Work
Data entry into a system with no API
Where computer use most clearly beats the alternative, because the alternative is a person doing it by hand.
What happens
- Read the source list — new products, new starters, new inventory
- Open the internal application's entry form
- Enter one row, submit, confirm the success state
- Repeat, keeping a log of what was entered
- Report any rows that failed rather than skipping them silently
The other task Microsoft documents, and the one with the clearest economics. The alternative is a person doing it indefinitely, or a contractor building an integration nobody wants to maintain. Neither is appealing, which is why this is where budget actually gets approved.
Where it breaks
Volume. Past a few hundred rows a scripted integration is cheaper per unit, and errors compound across a long run. Batch it, and check the batches rather than the whole job.