Free Resource

Workflow Readiness Checklist

Fifteen checks to run on a workflow before you try to automate it. If you cannot check most of these boxes, the workflow needs cleanup before AI can help — and knowing that now is cheaper than finding out after a build.

Use your browser's print function to save this page as a PDF for your team.

Ownership

Ownership checks

One person can be named as the owner of this workflow end to end.
The owner can describe what “done” looks like for a single unit of work.
Someone is accountable when the workflow fails, and they find out within a day.

Handoffs

Handoffs checks

You can list every handoff in the workflow, including the informal ones.
Each handoff has a defined trigger, not “when someone remembers.”
Work does not silently wait in an inbox, chat thread, or spreadsheet between steps.

Source data

Source data checks

The data the workflow depends on lives in a known system, not in one person's head.
When two systems disagree, there is a rule for which one wins.
The team trusts the numbers enough to act on them without re-checking manually.

Exceptions and review

Exceptions and review checks

The common exceptions are known and have a defined path, even if it is manual.
There is a human review step anywhere a mistake would reach a customer or cost real money.
You can say what error rate is acceptable before someone needs to intervene.

Measurement

Measurement checks

You know roughly how long one unit of work takes today, even if it is an estimate.
You know how often the workflow runs per week.
You could tell within a month whether a change made the workflow faster or safer.

How To Score It

What your answers mean.

12-15 checked

The workflow is a reasonable automation candidate. The next question is whether the value justifies the build — that is what the audit prioritizes.

7-11 checked

Readiness work first: tighten ownership, handoffs, or data before automating. Automating a messy workflow makes the mess faster.

6 or fewer checked

Do not automate yet. Pick the one or two weakest areas above and fix them manually first. That work is valuable on its own.

Want A Second Opinion?

Not sure which workflow to score first?

A free 20-minute fit call helps you decide whether the AI Opportunity Audit is the right way to answer that question.

Book a Free Fit Call See the Sample Report