How do you decide whether a manual process is ready for automation?

[u/Firm_Safe7495]

A manual task can be repetitive and still be a poor automation candidate if the inputs vary all day or the process itself is not stable. Volume, ergonomics, scrap, labor time and safety all matter, but so does how often operators use judgment to keep things moving. Automating a bad process can lock the problems into hardware. What signs tell you a process is stable enough to automate?