AI process scorecard
Score one loop on volume, mess, blast radius, and a written standard operating procedure (SOP). Then pick rules, a model draft, or stop. Print this. Do not buy a seat first.
List three candidate loops. Score each 1 to 5. Automate the winner that does not email a client. Park the other two with a date.
Blast is inverted on purpose. Five means a wrong answer is cheap to undo (Slack, an internal tag). One means money, a contract, or a client email. If blast is 1 or 2, the model does not send.
flowchart TD
L["Name the loop"] --> S{"SOP on one page?"}
S -->|No| W["Write the SOP. Stop."]
S -->|Yes| M{"Input messy?"}
M -->|No| R["Rules workflow. No model."]
M -->|Yes| B{"Blast 4 or 5?"}
B -->|No| H["Model drafts. Human sends."]
B -->|Yes| V{"Volume 4 or 5?"}
V -->|No| K["Skip this month"]
V -->|Yes| A["Model on the messy step"]
The 1 to 5 scale
Write the number you can defend in a meeting, not the number that makes the tool look useful.
| Axis | 1 | 3 | 5 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Volume | A few times a month | A few times a week | Daily. Someone already copy-pastes |
| Mess | Clean webhook or stable spreadsheet columns | Mostly a form, plus a rambling email | Chat, PDFs, free text, voice notes |
| Blast (5 = cheap to undo) | Client email, money, or a contract | Internal email you can recall | Slack ping or an internal tag |
| SOP | Only one person knows. “It depends.” | A doc exists. Exceptions live in someone’s head | Happy path and exceptions on one page |
Score three candidates
Empty cells are the point. Highest total that does not email the client wins. Ties break toward money or a named owner.
| Loop (one sentence) | Volume | Mess | Blast | SOP | Total | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Contact form → Slack (example) | 5 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 18 | Model extract, rules notify |
- Winner named in one sentence, with the owner and the undo
New /contact row to a Sheet, ping Simeon, same-day human reply.
- The other two parked with a calendar date, not “someday”
Read the verdict
| If this is true | Do this | Do not do this |
|---|---|---|
| SOP is 1 or 2 | Write the one-page card. Stop. | Buy n8n, Zapier, or Make to “figure it out” |
| Mess is 1 or 2, volume is 4 or 5 | Rules workflow. No large language model (LLM) | Call a model to reformat JSON you already have |
| Blast is 1 or 2 | Model may draft. A person sends. Kill switch on. | Silent send, auto-refund, auto-discount |
| Volume, mess, blast, SOP all 4 or 5 | Model on the messy step. Rules on validate, store, notify | Let the model invent prices, clients, or availability |
- If the winner is “write the SOP,” use the automation readiness checklist next, not a builder