A short workflow audit checklist

Most failed “transformations” start with a tool. Start with the work instead.

Before the workshop

1. What outcome does this process exist to produce?
2. Who waits on whom, and for how long?
3. Where does the same fact get typed more than once?
4. Which step exists only because a previous tool was weak?
5. What breaks when the usual person is away?

During the walkthrough

1. Watch a real case end-to-end — not the happy-path slide.
2. Note every hand-off, approval, and “we just email it”.
3. Ask what people do when the official path is too slow.
4. Separate policy constraints from habit.
5. Capture volumes and error rates in plain numbers, not vibes.

Before you build anything

1. Name the core problem in one sentence everyone agrees on.
2. Decide what “done” looks like in the operation — not in the software demo.

If you cannot answer item 11 cleanly, you are not ready to choose automation, AI, or a custom build.

Keeping it lasting

Build for the people who will run this next year. Prefer fewer moving parts, clear ownership, and documentation that a new hire can follow without a meeting.

When you want help walking this through a live operation, see Workflow auditing. For the regulatory side of AI systems, start with the EU AI Act at a glance or UK AI orientation.