Morning admin, done before the day starts.
Every school morning, 30 to 40 absence emails had to be typed into eTap by hand. I pitched and built a workflow that does it overnight, checks every entry and hands staff a short list at 8:45am. I still run and maintain it.
- Staff time saved
- 1 to 2 hours every school day (staff estimate)
- Runs
- Overnight, 5pm to 8:45am
- Staff involvement
- Only the cases it flags
The same slow job, every morning.
Staff opened each absence email, found the student in eTap and typed in the attendance code and the parent’s comment by hand. On a typical day that meant 30 to 40 emails, every one keyed in manually.
The work was repetitive and rule-based, which made it a strong candidate for automation. The unclear cases still needed a person, so the system had to know when to stop.
Built on the tools the school already had.
I pitched the idea, built it and maintain it. It connects Gmail to eTap using Node.js, TypeScript and Playwright browser automation, with a local ledger that records what has been processed.
Every decision follows programmed rules. No generative AI reads the emails or decides attendance.
Works overnight. Reports at 8:45.
From 5pm to 8:45am, the worker reads each absence email, matches the student, applies the rules for dates and attendance codes and adds the parent’s comment.
Every entry is checked after it saves. Duplicates are caught, existing attendance codes are protected, and an email is only marked read once its entry is verified.
At 8:45am the office gets one email: what’s done, and the short list that needs a person. Daytime absences stay with staff.
Over an hour back, every school day.
The system has been in daily use for about a month, as of September 2026. It reads 30 to 40+ absence notifications on a typical day, and around 150 came through during a flu surge.
“It’s been an absolute game changer. The absences are done before I’ve even made my coffee, and I just check the few it flags. It saves me over an hour every day, closer to two. A real asset to our school.”
Attendance officer, Berkley Normal Middle School
Some emails need no new entry and some need a person. The system does the routine work and sorts the rest, so staff time goes on the decisions that need judgement.
Automation needs an owner. That’s me.
The system runs on the school computer and depends on connectivity, an active eTap session and the vendor’s web interface. I keep it working as those change and as the workflow grows. Staff check the morning handover and resolve the exceptions.
Internal school system. Time savings and volumes are reported by the attendance officer and me, not timed measurements.
Your team has a job like this. I can take it off their hands.
Order requests, bookings and other email-driven admin often follow the same pattern. I work out the rules with the person who does the job, connect the systems you already use, check every result and send anything uncertain back to a person.
You get the routine work done before your team starts, and a short list for them to review. In a senior role, I’d find these jobs across your organisation and clear them one by one. On a project, I start with the one costing your team the most time.
Let's build it.
Hiring for a senior creative technology role, or planning a project that matters? Tell me what you’re trying to achieve and where you’re based. I’m in New Zealand, spent six years in Singapore and am open to remote work or relocation.