Automation Decision Pack Workbook
An eight-page printable workbook for choosing, mapping, scoring, scoping, and assigning ownership for a first AI automation workflow.
Download the Automation Decision Pack Workbook (PDF)
Use this workbook to decide whether one recurring business workflow is worth automating and what a responsible first release would require. It accompanies the free Choose Your First AI Automation Workflow course, but you can also use it as a standalone planning pack with your team.
Download the Automation Decision Pack Workbook
What is included
The eight-page printable PDF contains:
- a course progress and ownership page;
- a workflow shortlist for turning broad frustrations into observable work;
- a current-state map for actions, systems, waits, handoffs, and exceptions;
- an opportunity scorecard covering value, readiness, and risk;
- a responsibility map for process repair, ordinary automation, AI assistance, and human judgment;
- a first-release brief with boundaries, failure paths, and acceptance cases;
- a measurement and ownership plan;
- a capstone rubric for deciding whether the pack is ready for a build conversation.
How to use the workbook
- Choose one recurring workflow with a clear trigger, finish, sponsor, and operating owner.
- Reconstruct one recent case rather than describing an ideal process.
- Record evidence beside every score and leave unknowns visible.
- Decide which steps need repair, rules-based automation, AI assistance, or human judgment.
- Define the smallest useful first release, including exclusions and fallback paths.
- Name the baseline, owners, launch controls, and first review date.
- Use the capstone rubric before approving discovery or implementation.
If you are taking the course, complete one numbered section after each module. Your completed workbook is the course capstone.
Worked example
A service company receives enquiries through its website, referrals, events, and email. Staff repeatedly search for company context, check whether the request fits, and decide who should respond. The team defines the boundary as: a new enquiry arrives; the correct owner reviews a useful brief and records the next action.
The workbook then helps the team map the actual intake path, record missing information and duplicate checks, decide where a person must review the recommendation, and define a first release that stops before sales outreach. The result is a decision someone can inspect, challenge, and revise.
How to assess the finished pack
A decision-ready pack has no missing section and scores at least 10 of 12 points on the capstone rubric. A lower score does not mean you should automate anyway. It identifies the boundary, evidence, ownership, or operating control that still needs work.
Valid outcomes include proceeding to technical discovery, running an AI Success Audit, holding a Strategy Day, repairing the process internally, or stopping the idea.
Limits
This workbook does not select software, estimate a final implementation price, or prove that AI belongs in the workflow. Scores depend on the evidence your team records. Revisit the pack when the workflow, systems, volume, owners, or risk changes.
Continue with Flowgrammer
- Take the free Choose Your First AI Automation Workflow course.
- Estimate the cost of the current work with the Automation Opportunity Calculator.
- Use an AI Success Audit when the priority or process is still unclear.
- Book a fit call with your completed Decision Pack.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to take the course to use the workbook?
No. The workbook stands on its own. The course explains each decision and provides examples, while the PDF gives your team one place to record the evidence.
Is this workbook only for AI projects?
No. One possible outcome is ordinary automation, process repair, or keeping a step human. The pack helps you choose the mechanism after you understand the work.
Can I fill the PDF digitally?
The PDF is designed primarily for printing or annotation in a PDF app. It is not a fillable form with saved input fields.
What should I bring to a review meeting?
Bring one recent example of the workflow, the people who operate and own it, known volumes and delays, and any important exceptions. Complete the pack with those people rather than guessing for them.