Look for repeated information work
Good candidates often involve reading, classifying, copying, checking, routing, or summarizing information. The work may cross email, documents, spreadsheets, and business systems.
- High volume
- Repeated steps
- Clear inputs
- Known exceptions
- Measurable delays or effort
Separate deterministic rules from judgment
Traditional automation is effective where the logic is fixed. AI becomes useful when the workflow also includes variable language, documents, interpretation, or recommendations. The best design uses each approach where it fits.
Map exceptions before the happy path
Exceptions reveal whether the workflow is ready. Define what happens when information is missing, confidence is low, a system is unavailable, or an action requires approval.
Choose the right level of autonomy
Not every workflow needs an autonomous agent. Assistance, recommended actions, staged updates, and human approval can produce value with clearer control.
- Inform
- Recommend
- Prepare
- Act with approval
- Act within bounded rules
Measure the operational change
Compare the new workflow with the baseline using cycle time, touch time, error and rework, backlog, escalation, and user adoption. Avoid celebrating task automation if the surrounding process remains slow.