The Button – Why Some Demand It, and Others Fear It

A while ago, my wife wrote a blog post about The Button—specifically, the electric push-button and how it transformed the way we interact with machines.

Before the push-button, people had to manually operate machines using cranks, levers, and mechanisms. When buttons were introduced, they revolutionized convenience—but not without resistance. Some worried that push-button technology would make people lazy, eroding their skills and making them overly reliant on automation.

You can read her full post and her other great work here:

Electric buttons and progress

And honestly? Every industry has its version of “The Button.” That magical automation tool that instantly solves a problem with no effort.

I hear it all the time:

• “Can you just give me a button that does this?”
• “I don’t want to manually check anything. Just automate it.”
• “We should be able to press a button, and it just works.”

But the issue is clear, at least from my perspective. If you don’t understand the process, what exactly are you automating?

The Demand for “The Button” – Instant Automation, No Learning Required

There’s a pattern I’ve seen across BIM, digital delivery, and data workflows:

• Someone wants a fully automated solution—let’s say transferring data between ProjectWise and Autodesk Construction Cloud (ACC).
• They’ve never tried the semi-automated process (bulk exports and imports).
• They don’t understand the hold points, checks, or data structures.
• They just want The Button—a one-click solution that moves everything seamlessly.

This approach introduces risks. Automating without a proper grasp of the underlying process can create blind spots and errors, making troubleshooting a challenge. Without understanding the manual steps, it’s hard to identify what’s broken when The Button fails.

The Other Extreme. The People Who Reject “The Button”

On the flip side, there are those who know the process inside out. Their familiarity ensures reliable results through manual control. They often reject automation, even for repetitive tasks, because:

• They prefer to rely on a process they fully understand.
• They want every step to be executed exactly as they intend.
• They view automation as a black box that removes control.

While I understand the hesitation to adopt automation that cannot be maintained independently, clinging to manual methods for routine tasks sacrifices efficiency and progress.

Finding the Right Balance

The core issue isn’t the button itself, but automating without understanding. If you demand instant solutions without knowing the process, you set yourself up for failure. Likewise, refusing to automate simply to retain control wastes time on tasks that could be done more efficiently.

The best approach is to learn first and automate second. Here’s what I suggest:

• Test the semi-automated method first: Get a basic understanding of the process before pushing for full automation.
• Document the logic: Define expected inputs, outputs, and checks when automating.
• Embrace coding: If automation eliminates repetitive work, it’s an efficiency tool—not a mysterious black box.

If you demand a button without understanding the process, you’re setting yourself up for failure.
If you refuse to automate because it takes away control, you’re wasting valuable time on repeatable tasks.

The best approach? Learn first, automate second.

Automation should make your job easier by complementing your understanding of the process. When you know how things work, you can automate effectively and free up time for more valuable work.

Do you see more demanders of The Button or those who shy away from it in your industry? Let me know in the comments.