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lab experiment LAB-003 workflow automation · 2025 claude code · systems thinking

content ops
dashboard.

What happens when you apply instructional systems thinking to your own workflow — and automate the entire stack with Claude Code. Daily briefs, Canva generation, research pipelines, analytics. None of it required a developer.

see it in action

the walkthrough

A full tour of the automated content operations dashboard — from the morning brief that synthesizes email and calendar, to the Sunday night analytics report that generates itself.

the thesis

this isn't about social media.

I spent several weeks automating my entire content operations stack with Claude Code. Every piece of it — the daily brief, the content generation, the research pipeline, the analytics — maps directly to problems learning designers face every day. None of this required a developer. It required systems thinking, which is exactly what we already do.

the automations

four workflows. zero manual triggers.

Each automation has a direct L&D parallel — the same logic applies whether you're managing content or managing learning operations.

01

the daily brief

Every morning: top emails, calendar events, and Notion projects — synthesized into one prioritized brief. No context switching before coffee.

for L&D

A project status digest. Client deliverables, SME review threads, LMS feedback — one view, every morning.

02

canva automation

A Notion queue feeds Claude Code every Sunday. It opens designated Canva templates, builds every carousel marked ready, and marks them done. Monday morning, the content exists.

for L&D

Job aids. One-pagers. Slide decks. If you have a Canva template and a content queue, this builds your materials while you sleep.

03

research pipeline

Three Apify scrapers run every Wednesday — Reddit, TikTok, YouTube — pulling what the audience is struggling with right now. Results go to Notion with a Perplexity report.

for L&D

Needs analysis. Replace manual community lurking with structured scraping of forums, LinkedIn groups, and industry channels. Real pain points, updated weekly.

04

analytics report

Every Sunday night, a performance report generates itself and surfaces inside the dashboard. No logging into apps. No manual data pulling.

for L&D

Evaluation data. LMS exports, survey results, completion rates — piped into one place, automatically. Kirkpatrick Level 1 and 2 data that actually gets reviewed.

the secret ingredient

One single markdown file contains the entire brand guide — colors, fonts, tone of voice, writing rules. Every Claude Code session reads it automatically. Every output follows it. I wrote it once. It runs everything.

tools used

the stack

claude code cowork notion canva apify gmail api google calendar api netlify react perplexity

see it live

The actual dashboard — running the daily brief, research pipeline, and analytics reports on a real schedule.

open the dashboard

limitations & what's next

This is a working system, not a finished product.

deeper analytics

Current reports surface top-level metrics. Next: trend analysis across weeks, content type performance, and audience growth patterns.

smarter content briefs

Research pipeline delivers raw findings. Next: AI-generated content briefs that connect audience pain points to specific content formats and angles.

end-to-end automation

Some steps still need manual triggers. Goal: fully autonomous pipeline from research insight to published content with human review gates.

template expansion

Currently handles carousel templates. Expanding to video thumbnails, story templates, and long-form article layouts.

next in the lab

programmatic video
& automation.

Code-driven video templates with Remotion and automated Canva carousel generation — from template to published content with no manual design work.

explore the experiment