Purpose and measure
State why the work exists, who depends on it, and what a real improvement would change.
AI OPERATIONS AUDIT
Examine the work before you automate it.
Review one process to see where work gets repeated, delayed, or missed. Use what you find to decide whether AI or automation could help.
Use the audit scorecardWHAT THIS PAGE IS
A guide you can use yourself.
This guide explains how to review a process before choosing what to change. It covers the same kind of work as the $995 AI Opportunity Assessment. You can use the guide yourself. If you want Ashley to examine one business area, turn the findings into a prioritized Action Plan, and review the result with you, book the Assessment.
What the Assessment includes
- One 45-minute Assessment session
- At least three realistic AI or automation opportunities
- Expected benefit, requirements, risks, costs, and tradeoffs where they can be estimated responsibly
- What should remain human
- A recommended first implementation priority
- Action Plan delivered within seven days
- One separate 30-minute findings review
Implementation is not included and can be scoped separately.
WORKSHEET
The AI Operations Audit Scorecard
Score one workflow from 0 to 2 on each question. Use 0 for no or unknown, 1 for partly, and 2 for yes with evidence. The score helps structure a decision. It is not a prediction of savings or return.
- 01
Repeated work
Does this happen often enough for a change to matter?
- 02
Visible cost
Can you document handling time, delay, rework, errors, capacity, or another business constraint?
- 03
Stable trigger
Is there a clear event that starts the workflow?
- 04
Usable information
Are the required records accessible, sufficiently consistent, and approved for use?
- 05
Decisions for a person
Can you name what a system may do and what a person must decide?
- 06
Handling unusual cases
Can incomplete, duplicate, unusual, and risky cases stop safely or reach an owner?
- 07
Workflow owner
Will one person own the process, the review, and any correction after launch?
- 08
Measurable result
Can you compare the same baseline before and after the change?
READ THE SCORE
What your score means
- 0 to 5: Clarify the steps, records, and responsibilities before choosing an automation.
- 6 to 11: There may be an opportunity, but important assumptions need testing.
- 12 to 16: This process may be ready for a closer assessment before deciding whether to build.
A high score is not automatic approval.
Security, privacy, legal, contractual, reputational, and human consequences can still make an implementation unsuitable. Use the score with evidence and responsible review.
The NIST Generative AI Profile provides a broader risk-management reference for AI systems. The NIST AI RMF Playbook provides suggested actions across governance, mapping, measurement, and management.
AUDIT THE FULL WORKFLOW
Collect evidence before choosing the solution.
People and ownership
Name every handoff, decision owner, reviewer, and person who handles exceptions.
Tools and information
List the systems, records, permissions, and duplicate entry involved.
Waits and rework
Document where work pauses, gets chased, gets corrected, or depends on memory.
Rules and judgment
Separate handling that can follow a rule from decisions that require context and authority.
Test and stop conditions
Define what must work, what must be reviewed, and when the system should stop.
RELATED GUIDES
Related guides
The small business AI audit explains where to look before buying another tool. What to automate first helps rank competing workflows. The plain-English workflow guide explains triggers, actions, review, and exceptions.
Getting help with the setup
Review AI Implementation for solution design, tool connections, testing, documentation, and launch support. Review Selected Work for past project details.
WANT THE AUDIT DONE WITH YOU?
Get help reviewing one part of your business.
The $995 AI Opportunity Assessment includes a 45-minute Assessment session. Your Action Plan is delivered within seven days, followed by a separate 30-minute findings review.
Schedule an AI Opportunity Assessment