Adwords has been constantly changing since 2004. In the old days, it was very simple and the algorythm satisifed your needs far better on broad match terms.
In the last few years, it has become far more complex and of course competitive.
The reliance on google to do all the work for you with extended match, and all the other tricks, is waning in my opinion. I have see one example of a mature account that ran better on auto, just one.
With imature accounts and poorly set up and managed accounts, there is a huge and long road to find the words and the positions that work. Then you can get stuck into competiton watch and market position, and all of these fall into effective adwords management.
Just setting up Adwords and getting on front page is not good enough, its all about market share and cost per sale and lead.