u/Admirable_Claim_3203

Every time I read about network automation it feels like the conversation jumps from:

“we have a few scripts”

straight to:

“full NetBox / Ansible / pipelines / GitOps setup”

however, it feels like most environments sit somewhere awkwardly in the middle for years

bits of automation, some manual work, different tools not really tied together, and documentation half there.

curious what that middle stage actually looked like for other people and what pushed you beyond it (if you ever did)

feels like most environments start simple and only move towards structured automation once things get harder to manage.

made me think, when does it actually become worth the effort?

is there a point where it clearly saves more time than it costs?