User-initiated automation
A workflow triggered by an end user action in a product or interface clicking a button, submitting a form, or reaching a milestone. The user initiates; the automation handles everything downstream without further human involvement.
Expert insight
User-initiated automation (a person clicking a button to trigger a workflow, rather than it firing automatically) is a deliberate trust boundary, useful when a business genuinely wants a human decision point before an action happens, worth distinguishing intentionally from automation that should really be fully automatic but was made manual out of uncertainty.
In a real workflow
A salesperson clicks "send proposal" in the CRM and the whole proposal workflow runs.
Common mistakes
- No feedback to the user after clicking.
- Allowing double clicks to run twice.
Complexity level
Anyone can understand this no technical background needed.
Related terms
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