Prepare the room
Invite people who do the work, its owner and an IT/data contact. Bring blank examples, volumes and rough timings; no confidential documents are needed.
01 · Map the work
Choose one workflow. Draw request, inputs, actions, handoffs, exceptions and outcome. Ask what can be removed before adding technology.
02 · Count the time
For each repeated task record active minutes, monthly volume, people and correction time. Separate observation from guesses. Do not multiply a shared task twice.
03 · Score the friction
Score delay, staff effort, avoidable errors and customer impact consistently. Ask where released time would actually be used.
04 · Test the AI fit
Look for high-volume, repetitive, text-heavy work with variable inputs, usable data and a human review path. Fixed rules may be cheaper and more reliable.
When AI is the wrong next step
Repair a broken process, obtain lawful data or clarify ownership first. Exclude low-volume tasks with no economic case and high-stakes decisions without accountable human review.
Finish with an action, not a shopping list
Assign an owner to verify each estimate. Shortlist one or two candidates, score value and effort, then write a bounded pilot proposal.
Proposed agenda: 4 hours
- 20 min: agree scope and owners
- 45 min: process mapping
- 40 min: time analysis
- 35 min: pain scoring
- 10 min: break
- 40 min: AI fit and red flags
- 30 min: prioritise candidates
- 20 min: assign validation actions