The Automation Audit Questions

Not everything should be automated.

In fact, automating the wrong things can make your operations worse—not better.

So how do you know what to automate? Start with these seven questions.

1. Is This Process Repeatable?

Automation works best for tasks that happen the same way, every time. If a process requires judgment calls or creative problem-solving, automation probably isn't the answer.

Ask: Does this task follow a predictable pattern, or does it change based on context?

2. Is This Process Documented?

If your team can't explain how something works, you can't automate it. You'll just be automating confusion.

Ask: Could a new employee follow written instructions and complete this task successfully?

3. Does This Process Work Well Manually?

Automation doesn't fix broken processes. It just makes them faster—which means you'll create mistakes faster, too.

Ask: If we were doing this manually, would we be happy with the results?

4. Is This Worth the Investment?

Automation isn't free. It takes time to build, test, and maintain. Make sure the return justifies the effort.

Ask: How many hours per week does this task consume? Will automation save enough time to be worth building?

5. What Happens If It Breaks?

Automated systems can fail. Before you automate, make sure you have a backup plan.

Ask: If this automation stopped working tomorrow, could we revert to a manual process without chaos?

6. Will This Scale With Your Business?

A solution that works for 10 clients might break at 100. Think ahead.

Ask: As our business grows, will this automation still work, or will we need to rebuild it?

7. Does Your Team Trust It?

If your team doesn't trust the automation, they'll create workarounds—and you'll end up with parallel systems that waste time.

Ask: Will the people using this automation believe it's accurate and reliable?

The Audit in Practice

We use these questions with every client before recommending automation. Sometimes, the answer is yes—automation will transform this workflow.

But often, the answer is: "Not yet."

Maybe the process needs to be refined first. Maybe it happens too infrequently to justify automation. Maybe the team needs better training, not better tools.

Why This Matters

Because the goal isn't to automate everything. The goal is to build systems that make your business easier to run.

Sometimes that means automation. Sometimes it means simplification. Sometimes it means doing nothing.

The difference between a tool vendor and an AI Business Strategist? We'll tell you when not to automate.

Systems Are Your Business's Superpower

When they're designed for how work actually happens—and when they're automated thoughtfully, not automatically.