"We heard AI can automate many things, so we're wondering what to tackle first. We thought about starting with our most difficult task." We received this inquiry from an executive at a construction-related business. Having a proactive mindset is great, but the most difficult task is not necessarily the task you should automate first. In fact, operations that are complex and full of exceptions are much harder to automate, often ending up running up high costs without being sustainable.
Even as tools evolve, whether business process automation succeeds depends on how you choose what to automate. Misjudging this leads to wasted investments. In this article, we outline criteria for small and medium-sized businesses to select automation targets based on cost-effectiveness.
Common traits of companies that fail with automation
In unsuccessful cases, there is a common mistake in the order of implementation.
The first is assuming that demanding tasks equal tasks that should be automated. Automating a task that takes effort but only occurs a few times a month yields minimal saved time. The second is taking on processes riddled with exceptions. Tasks where decisions vary by person or conditions change every time require complex automation design, making the cost-effectiveness poor. The third is attempting to automate before streamlining the underlying process. Automating inconsistent workflows without standardizing them only systematizes chaos.
Even when receiving a proposal promising that a process can be automated with AI, you need to evaluate its scope of responsibility and suitability. Understanding in advance the difficulty of setting boundaries after forcibly automating unsuitable processes ensures safer decision-making.
Evaluating automation priority by frequency, effort, and standardization
You are less likely to miss the mark if you assess which tasks to start with across these three dimensions:
- Frequency: The more frequently a task occurs (such as daily or weekly), the more the time-saving benefits of automation compound.
- Effort: The longer each individual task takes, the greater the payoff.
- Standardization: The more standardized the steps are and the fewer exceptions exist, the easier and less costly it is to automate.
Tasks that align on all three—high frequency, moderate effort, and routine execution—are top priority. Conversely, low-frequency tasks with numerous exceptions yield the worst ROI and should be deferred.
| Nature of Operation | Automation Priority |
|---|---|
| High frequency and routine (e.g., transcribing order data, sending routine emails) | Highest priority |
| High frequency but requires judgment (e.g., portions of credit checks and quoting) | Partial assistance |
| Low frequency with many exceptions (e.g., individual negotiations, exception handling) | Later |
Start by selecting a single daily task with a defined set of steps. Beginning here makes results visible quickly and makes it easier to gain buy-in across the company.
Think about streamlining or eliminating before building
Once high-priority tasks are identified, take one more step to evaluate them before immediately introducing a tool. That is asking: Is this task truly necessary, or can it be simplified?
A common automation inquiry involves entering the same data manually into multiple systems. Rather than automating data entry, this is an area where you should first explore eliminating the manual work entirely through system-to-system data integration. Additionally, if the exact same inquiries recur internally, automating support responses proves effective. Checking whether issues can be resolved by streamlining, eliminating, or connecting before building helps prevent unnecessary development.
Only after deciding that automation is truly necessary should you proceed to selecting methods, such as RPA or AI agents. The method comes last. Inverting this order leads to putting the cart before the horse, forcing your operations to fit the tools.
Deciding what to automate ensures your investment hits the mark
Business process automation launched on sheer momentum incurs heavy costs without lasting. Successful companies prioritize by frequency, effort, and standardization, consider streamlining, eliminating, and connecting before building, and then tackle the highest-impact processes first. Establishing your first move around daily routine tasks is the shortcut to protecting your investment. If you want to clarify where to start automating, feel uncertain whether your current operational workflows are sound, or need to assess the scope for positive ROI, please feel free to reach out to GleamHub's business process automation and system development consulting desk. We will inventory your workflows and co-create a plan starting from where it delivers the greatest impact.
