Where work actually stalls.
Consider a service quotation. One person receives the request, another prepares the estimate, a manager approves it, and someone needs to follow up. Even if every task is performed well, the process fails when the next owner or deadline is unclear.
Define the hand-off.
For each transition, document five things: what starts it, what information must be available, who owns it, what counts as finished and what happens when something is missing.
Choose boring technology where possible.
A due date, a required field or a reminder often works better as a simple rule than an AI prediction. Use models for ambiguous language and unstructured inputs, then keep approvals and business rules deterministic.
Measure the missed work.
Track overdue tasks, response times and repeated exceptions. Automation is only an improvement if it makes the process easier to operate and understand.