# Automation readiness checklist

- Source: https://simeoncreatives.com/resources/automation-readiness-checklist
- Hub: AI & Business Automation

Score a process before you buy a seat. If the path is still an argument, software will encode the argument.

Pick one loop: inbound lead, invoice chase, publish, or onboarding. Score it in 20 minutes. Do not score “the business.”
A process is ready when a second person could run it from this page without calling you. Until then, write the standard operating procedure (SOP). Automate later.

```mermaid
flowchart TD
    A["Name the loop"] --> B{"Written SOP?"}
    B -->|No| C["Write the one-page card"]
    B -->|Yes| D{"High volume + rules?"}
    D -->|No| E["Keep it human"]
    D -->|Yes| F{"Irreversible send?"}
    F -->|Yes| G["Queue + human approve"]
    F -->|No| H["Automate capture store notify"]
```
*Ready means written, boring, and rule-based. Irreversible steps still pause for a person.*

## Score the loop (1 to 5 each)

Five is “a stranger could run this tomorrow.” One is “only I know.” Total of 24 or more, build. Under 18, write. 18 to 23, tighten the SOP this week, then build capture only.

| Signal | 1 | 3 | 5 |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Trigger | Whenever we remember | Mostly the form | One form or one inbox rule |
| Owner | The group chat | Whoever is free | Named person + backup |
| Done | We handled it | Replied sometime | Logged, replied, next date set |
| Volume | A few a month | A few a week | Daily enough to resent the copy-paste |
| Rules | Every lead is special | A default plus vibes | Yes / no / exception path |
| Store | Screenshots in WhatsApp | A sheet nobody trusts | One row per event |

- [ ] Loop named in one line (example: new contact form to first human reply)
- [ ] Six signals scored and the total written at the top of the SOP

## The one-page SOP must exist

If this card is blank, stop. Tools will not invent it. Copy the six fields onto a doc and fill them in plain language.

- [ ] Trigger is a real event, not a mood
  Example: Form submit on /contact. Not “when someone seems interested.”
- [ ] Owner is a name, with a backup for leave days
- [ ] Steps are numbered, including where the row lives
- [ ] Service level agreement (SLA) is a number
  Same business day is an SLA. ASAP is not.
- [ ] Done is screenshot-able
  Example: Row exists, owner assigned, first reply sent, next date in the sheet.
- [ ] Exception path named (wrong fit, legal, angry, no budget)

## Hard fails (do not automate yet)

- [ ] Two people still argue about what a qualified lead is
- [ ] The plan is “let the model email the client” with no review queue
- [ ] You are buying a customer relationship management (CRM) to create the process
  A sheet with required columns beats an empty CRM nobody opens.
- [ ] API keys, passwords, or full card numbers would live in the prompt or the Slack log

## If you pass, automate only this first

Capture, store, notify. Leave qualify and reply human until the default is boring for two weeks.

- [ ] One intake surface (form or inbox rule), required fields only
- [ ] Schema check before anything is stored (email looks like email, honeypot empty)
- [ ] One row, stable id, timestamp, source
- [ ] Owner ping includes the row, not a screenshot
- [ ] Any send to the outside world is parked for a human

## Related guides

- [SOPs before automation](https://simeoncreatives.com/blog/sops-before-automation)
- [Human-in-the-loop for n8n and LLM jobs](https://simeoncreatives.com/blog/human-in-the-loop-n8n-llm-jobs)
- [How to automate your business with AI](https://simeoncreatives.com/blog/how-to-automate-your-business-with-ai)