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AI Workflow Intake Scorecard

Use this free AI workflow intake scorecard to rank automation candidates by business value, complexity, and risk before implementation.

Teams & OpsBeginner20 min
AI AutomationWorkflow DesignPrioritizationObsidian

Steps

1

List candidate workflows

Pick up to three workflows you might automate and write one sentence for each current manual process.

2

Score value, complexity, and risk

Use a simple 0-5 score for business value, implementation complexity, and risk exposure so comparisons stay objective.

3

Decide one next action

Choose one workflow to pursue now, one to queue, and one to reject, then note why to keep future planning consistent.

Why this workflow is useful

Most teams automate what feels urgent, not what has the best return.

This scorecard forces a cleaner decision before you spend engineering time.

Inputs (copy/paste)

Create a note with these fields before you start scoring:

  • Candidate workflow list: up to 3 flows you are considering.
  • Current process baseline: current cycle time, error rate, and owner.
  • Business context: revenue impact or cost impact if the flow improves.
  • Constraints: policy, compliance, integrations, and staffing limits.

Copy/paste template

# AI Workflow Intake Scorecard

## Workflow Candidate
- Name:
- Owner:
- Trigger:
- Current manual process:

## Business Value (0-5)
- Revenue impact:
- Time saved:
- Error reduction:

## Implementation Complexity (0-5)
- Data access complexity:
- Integration complexity:
- Change-management complexity:

## Risk Exposure (0-5)
- Data sensitivity:
- Compliance/approval constraints:
- Failure blast radius:

## Decision
- Composite score:
- Recommended action: pursue now | queue | reject
- Why:

Definition of done

I treat this workflow as complete only when:

  • Exactly one workflow is marked pursue now.
  • The selected workflow has one named owner.
  • The selected workflow has one measurable target metric.
  • The rejected and queued items each include a written reason.

If any of these are missing, the scorecard is not ready for implementation planning yet.

Failure modes + fixes

  • Mistake: Every workflow scores 4 or 5 on value. Fix: Force a rank order and compare against one baseline process.
  • Mistake: Complexity is estimated by optimism. Fix: Include integration count, approval steps, and exception volume in the score.
  • Mistake: Nobody owns the chosen workflow. Fix: Require one decision owner before you move to build planning.

What to do next

  • Move the selected workflow into an approval-safe implementation plan this week.
  • If you want me to pressure-test the score and design the implementation path, apply here: AgentOps application.

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