Name the task
Choose one trigger, one owner and one useful output.
A recent example
Check readiness
Confirm a permitted sample and a reviewer who can judge it.
Resolve missing prerequisites
Agree the pilot
Set acceptance checks, a baseline and a review date.
Continue, adjust or stop
1. Describe the work without mentioning AI
Write one sentence: When [trigger] happens, [owner] uses [inputs] to produce [output] for [reviewer]. For example: every Monday, the operations lead uses branch exports to prepare an exception briefing for the regional manager. If the sentence needs several teams, several outputs or a replacement of the core system, narrow it.
2. Check the prerequisites
- Someone owns the outcome and can review examples regularly.
- You can supply a permitted, representative sample, including awkward and incomplete cases.
- The output can be checked against records or an agreed rubric.
- A mistake can be caught before a consequential action, and there is a way to stop the workflow.
- The current effort or outcome can be measured before implementation.
A missing prerequisite is a task to resolve, not a low score to average away. Pause a candidate when data permission, ownership or a workable review process is absent.
3. Compare the candidates
| Criterion | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequency | Occasional | Weekly | Daily |
| Data readiness | Major gaps | Some cleanup | Usable sample |
| Repeatability | Rules unclear | Some exceptions | Clear recurring pattern |
| Review effort | Hard to verify | Expert review | Quick source check |
Score each candidate together and explain the evidence for each number. A high total is a reason to examine a workflow first; it does not override a failed prerequisite. For an illustrative shortlist, a weekly briefing might score 11 while an invoice follow-up scores 10. If the briefing has no available reviewer, choose neither until ownership is settled.
4. Write the pilot brief
Workflow name:
Business owner and reviewer:
Trigger and expected volume:
Inputs, source owners and freshness:
Output and where it will be reviewed:
Actions requiring approval:
Out of scope:
Acceptance criteria and sample:
Baseline period and primary measure:
Review date:
Stop conditions:
Who maintains it after the pilot:5. Decide what counts as progress
Choose one primary operating measure and a few supporting checks. For a briefing, count time per accepted report including review and rework; also record source errors and omissions. Agree what improvement would justify continuing before you see the pilot result. The measurement template provides the working sheet.
6. Set the review decision now
- Continue when outputs meet the agreed checks and the measured benefit justifies the operating effort.
- Change the scope when the task is useful but the inputs, output format or review process need adjustment.
- Stop when the output cannot be verified, material mistakes keep escaping review, or the running effort outweighs the benefit.
At the review, include rejected outputs and exceptions alongside the successful examples. Write down the decision and its owner. Expand only after the first workflow has a workable operating process, not simply because a demonstration looked convincing.