Identifying Automation Opportunities

From Audit to Action Plan

You've audited your workflow. Now let's turn findings into specific automation projects, prioritized by impact and ease of implementation.

The Automation Opportunity Framework

Four criteria for each opportunity:

1. Frequency: How often do you do this?

   • Daily: 5 points
   • Weekly: 3 points
   • Monthly: 1 point

2. Time per instance: How long does it take?

   • 30+ min: 5 points
   • 10-30 min: 3 points
   • <10 min: 1 point

3. Ease of automation: How hard to automate?

   • Very easy: 5 points
   • Moderate: 3 points
   • Complex: 1 point

4. Value if automated: Impact on your work quality?

   • High (frees you for strategic work): 5 points
   • Medium (nice to have): 3 points
   • Low (minor convenience): 1 point

Total possible: 20 points

Focus on opportunities scoring 12+ first.

Scoring Your Opportunities

Example: Email triage and sorting

• Frequency: Daily (5)
• Time: 30 min/day (5)
• Ease: Very easy with filters (5)
• Value: High (3+ hrs/week saved) (5)
• Total: 20 points ← Do this first!

Example: Monthly expense report

• Frequency: Monthly (1)
• Time: 1 hour (3)
• Ease: Moderate (template + AI) (3)
• Value: Medium (saves hassle) (3)
• Total: 10 points ← Do later

Example: Custom data pipeline

• Frequency: Daily (5)
• Time: 45 min (5)
• Ease: Complex (requires coding) (1)
• Value: High (5)
• Total: 16 points ← High value but hard, plan carefully

Common High-Value Automations

Email & Communication (usually score 15-20):

• Automated email sorting and labeling
• Draft responses for common inquiries
• Email summaries and digests
• Follow-up reminders

Documentation & Writing (usually score 12-18):

• Meeting notes transcription and summary
• Status report generation from project data
• Document formatting and templates
• Content repurposing across formats

Research & Information (usually score 14-19):

• Competitive intelligence gathering
• News and trend monitoring
• Research summarization
• Knowledge base search and retrieval

Data & Analysis (usually score 10-16):

• Data cleaning and formatting
• Report generation from dashboards
• Data visualization
• Predictive insights

Scheduling & Coordination (usually score 12-17):

• Meeting scheduling
• Reminder systems
• Task prioritization
• Calendar optimization

Matching Opportunities to AI Tools

For each opportunity, identify tool category:

AI Chatbots (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini):
Best for:

• Writing and editing
• Research and summarization
• Brainstorming and ideation
• Data analysis assistance
• Decision support

AI Email Tools (Superhuman, SaneBox, Gmail AI):
Best for:

• Email sorting and filtering
• Draft generation
• Priority inbox
• Smart replies

AI Meeting Tools (Otter, Fireflies, Fathom):
Best for:

• Transcription
• Note-taking
• Action item extraction
• Meeting summaries

Automation Platforms (Zapier, Make, IFTTT):
Best for:

• Connecting tools together
• Triggered actions
• Data transfer between systems
• Workflow orchestration

AI Writing Tools (Grammarly, Wordtune, Jasper):
Best for:

• Writing enhancement
• Tone adjustment
• Content generation
• Style consistency

The Automation Prioritization Matrix

Plot your opportunities:

High Impact, Easy        | High Impact, Hard
(DO FIRST)               | (PLAN CAREFULLY)
-------------------------|------------------
Low Impact, Easy         | Low Impact, Hard
(QUICK WINS)             | (SKIP FOR NOW)

Strategy:

1. Start with High Impact + Easy (Quick ROI)
2. Plan High Impact + Hard (Worth the effort)
3. Sprinkle in Low Impact + Easy (Morale boost)
4. Avoid Low Impact + Hard (Not worth it)

Creating Your Automation Roadmap

Phase 1: Quick Wins (Week 1-2)
Pick 3 high-impact, easy automations:

• Example: Email filters and labels
• Example: Meeting transcription with Otter
• Example: Text expansion for common phrases

Goal: Build momentum, see immediate value.

Phase 2: Foundation (Week 3-6)
Implement 2-3 medium-complexity automations:

• Example: AI email draft workflow
• Example: Automated status reports
• Example: Research workflow with ChatGPT

Goal: Establish core productivity systems.

Phase 3: Advanced (Month 2-3)
Tackle 1-2 high-value, complex automations:

• Example: Full workflow automation with Zapier
• Example: Custom GPT for specialized tasks
• Example: Integrated knowledge management system

Goal: Build sophisticated, interconnected systems.

Avoiding Automation Pitfalls

Don't automate broken processes:

• Fix the process first
• Then automate the improved version
• Bad process + automation = automated mess

Don't over-automate:

• Some tasks benefit from human touch
• Client relationships, creative work, strategic decisions
• Automate the prep, not the relationship

Don't automate too early:

• Do it manually 5-10 times first
• Understand the nuances
• Then automate based on real experience

Don't set and forget:

• Review automations monthly
• Adjust as workflows evolve
• Kill automations that stop working

The ROI Calculation

For each automation opportunity:

Time saved:

• Task frequency × Time per instance = Weekly time saved
• Example: 5 days × 30 min = 2.5 hrs/week

Setup time:

• How long to implement?
• Example: 2 hours to set up email filters

Break-even:

• Setup time ÷ Weekly savings = Weeks to ROI
• Example: 2 hrs ÷ 2.5 hrs = 0.8 weeks (< 1 week!)

Annual value:

• Weekly savings × 50 weeks = Annual time saved
• Example: 2.5 hrs × 50 = 125 hours per year
• At $50/hr value = $6,250 value

Do this calculation to justify the effort.

Building Your First Automation

Start with email (it's usually the biggest win):

Step 1: Audit your inbox

• What types of emails do you get?
• Which are routine vs. important?
• Which require similar responses?

Step 2: Create filters and labels

• Newsletters → Auto-label "Read Later"
• Automated notifications → Auto-label "FYI"
• Client emails → Auto-label "Priority"

Step 3: AI draft responses

• For common inquiry types
• Create prompt templates
• Review and personalize before sending

Step 4: Measure impact

• Time spent on email before vs. after
• Did it actually save time?
• What else can be automated?

Complete this in one afternoon, save 1-2 hrs/week forever.

Real-World Automation Roadmaps

Example 1: Marketing Manager

Quick Wins (Week 1-2):

• AI social media caption generation
• Email newsletter templates
• Meeting notes with Otter

Foundation (Week 3-6):

• Content calendar automation
• Analytics report generation
• Competitor monitoring workflow

Advanced (Month 2-3):

• Full content pipeline (idea → draft → publish)
• Automated A/B testing analysis
• Custom GPT for brand voice

Example 2: Project Manager

Quick Wins (Week 1-2):

• Status report template + AI
• Meeting action item extraction
• Calendar blocking automation

Foundation (Week 3-6):

• Project update emails from PM tool
• Risk assessment with AI
• Resource allocation AI assistant

Advanced (Month 2-3):

• Integrated project dashboard
• Automated client reporting
• Predictive timeline analysis

Measuring Success

Track these metrics:

Time metrics:

• Hours saved per week
• Time to complete key tasks (before vs. after)
• Context switches per day

Quality metrics:

• Error rate in automated tasks
• Missed deadlines (should decrease)
• Work product quality (better or same?)

Satisfaction metrics:

• Stress level (qualitative)
• Time for strategic vs. tactical work
• Control over your schedule

Review monthly, adjust as needed.

Common Automation Opportunities by Role

Software Developer:

• Code documentation generation
• PR review summaries
• Bug triage automation
• Deployment notes

Sales Rep:

• Prospect research automation
• Follow-up email sequences
• CRM data entry
• Proposal generation

Customer Support:

• Ticket categorization
• Response suggestions
• Knowledge base search
• Escalation routing

Executive:

• Email triage and prioritization
• Meeting prep briefings
• Decision memo summaries
• Strategic research synthesis

Your Automation Opportunity List

Create this table for your top 10 opportunities:

Opportunity	Frequency	Time	Ease	Value	Total	Priority
Email triage	5	5	5	5	20	1
Meeting notes	5	3	5	5	18	2
...

Then create roadmap:

• Week 1-2: [Projects]
• Week 3-6: [Projects]
• Month 2-3: [Projects]