---
title: Step 1. Plan your scenario
slug: step-1-plan-your-scenario
docTags: 
createdAt: 2025-03-20T10:10:31.111Z
---

Successful automation begins with a clear understanding of what needs to be automated. For any Make scenario, the first thing you do is identify what applications to connect and what actions to perform. 

### Define the applications you'll connect

- Check if the applications are available in Make (Gmail, Slack, Google Sheets, and thousands more are supported).
- Verify you have access to these applications (such as Slack workspace admin rights or a Google Workspace account).
- Ensure you have the necessary permissions (access to specific Google Sheets or Slack channels).

### Outline the specific actions needed

- What triggers the scenario? (a new email, form submission, or updates to a spreadsheet row)
- What information needs processing? (contact details, order information, or customer data)
- What should happen with this information? (create a new contact, send notifications, update databases)

For our sales notification scenario, here's the breakdown:

- **Applications**: Google Sheets, Slack
- **Trigger**: new row added in Google Sheets 
- **Actions**: send Slack notification to the team

![](https://api.archbee.com/api/optimize/oAyFj2GHlBeBVWF5OAir2/7kbUhqrjNIqzR-m8aIrQu-20251103-192331.png)

In the next sections, you'll prepare these apps to be used in your scenario.