Planning window
3–5 working days after discovery
Planning estimate, not a delivery promiseWho to involve
Business sponsor · Finance · Process owner · IT/security
Score consistently
Use the same 1–5 value and effort scale for every candidate. Include integration, access approval, user training and maintenance in effort. Treat risk as a separate gate.
Estimate capacity honestly
Count task time, frequency and people once. Subtract review and ongoing costs. Time released becomes financial savings only if the business can actually redeploy or remove that cost.
Write the decision
Record a conservative, central and optimistic scenario; document the baseline, assumptions, cost ceiling, accountable owner and criteria to stop.
What you leave with
- Value/effort matrix
- Scenario-based business case
- Approved pilot scope and budget ceiling
Common mistakes
- Calling released capacity cash savings
- Leaving integration out of costs
- A high score overriding privacy or safety