---
id: "framework-build-or-skip"
type: "framework"
source_timestamps: ["00:14:29", "00:15:25"]
tags: ["decision-making", "automation-strategy", "prioritization"]
related: ["concept-claude-skills", "action-audit-repetitive-tasks"]
steps: ["Assess if Recurring: Do you do this task more than once a week?", "Assess if Structured: Does it have a fixed shape every time (same input type, same output type)?", "Assess if Delegatable: Would you hand it off to an assistant if the quality stayed high (is the judgment repeatable)?", "Decision: If it passes all 3, build a skill. If it passes 1 or 2, keep it as a standard prompt. If it passes 0, do not automate."]
---
# The Build or Skip Decision Matrix

## Purpose

A filter to prevent over-engineering. Content creators frequently waste time building automations for tasks that don't deserve them. Run every candidate workflow through this matrix before turning it into a [[concept-claude-skills]].

## The three gates

### Gate 1 — Recurring

> *Do I do this task more than once a week?*

High volume justifies setup time. A monthly task probably doesn't.

### Gate 2 — Structured

> *Does it have a fixed shape every time — same input type, same output type?*

Structured tasks (newsletter formatting, IG caption generation, B-roll lists, hook generation via [[framework-six-hook-patterns]]) automate well. Open-ended creative writing does not.

### Gate 3 — Delegatable

> *Would I hand it off to a human assistant if quality stayed high?*

If the judgment is objective and repeatable, a Skill can replicate it. If success requires fleeting personal taste or in-context intuition, leave it manual.

## Decision rule

| Gates passed | Action |
|---|---|
| 3 of 3 | **Build a Skill** — strong ROI |
| 1 or 2 | **Keep it as a one-off prompt** |
| 0 of 3 | **Don't automate at all** |

## How to apply it in practice

See [[action-audit-repetitive-tasks]] for the weekly audit procedure.

## Caveat (from enrichment)

This triad — recurring, standardized, rule-based/delegatable — mirrors decades-old automation design heuristics from lean, Six Sigma, and RPA literature. It's a sound and well-validated filter, not unique to Claude. Counter-perspective worth keeping in view: **over-automating** can produce template-flavored outputs and reduce creative serendipity — leave deliberate space for unstructured ideation.