I think the metaphor still holds, if we consider manual processes to be disposable dishes. Each time you use one, it incurs a cost, and the costs increase linea

I think the metaphor still holds, if we consider manual processes to be disposable dishes. Each time you use one, it incurs a cost, and the costs increase linearly with how many of them you use. However, with disposable dishes / manual processes, you don't have to think about logistics so much, and in certain situations it genuinely does make sense to go with the disposable solution. You just need to know which situation is which.