1. Confirm the workflow repeats often
AI automation is easiest to justify when the task happens every day or every week. If the workflow is rare, the cost of building and maintaining automation may outweigh the benefit.
2. Define the input
Good automation needs predictable inputs: an email, form, document, ticket, note, spreadsheet, or record. If every input is completely different, the first project may need more process cleanup before AI can help.
3. Name the owner
Every automation needs a business owner who can explain the workflow, approve examples, test outputs, and decide whether the pilot is useful.
4. Map sensitive data
Identify customer records, employee data, financial information, credentials, or confidential documents. Use sample, redacted, or approved data for early testing whenever possible.
5. Create a review point
Most SMB automation pilots begin with draft-and-review. AI can summarize, classify, extract, or draft, while a person approves the final action.
6. Define a success measure
Useful success measures include fewer minutes per task, faster routing, better completeness, fewer missed follow-ups, or cleaner reporting.