You know automation will save money. The ROI is clear. But you have 15 processes that could be automated. Where do you start?
Choose wrong, and you waste months implementing something with minimal impact. Choose right, and you build momentum, prove value, and fund your next automation project with the savings.
This priority calculator helps you score each process across four critical dimensions, then ranks them to show you exactly where to start.
The Four-Factor Prioritisation Framework
Every process gets scored on these four factors (1-5 scale). Multiply them together for a priority score. Highest score wins.
Factor 1: Time Impact (1-5 points)
How many hours per week does this process consume across your entire organisation?
| Hours/Week | Score | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| < 2 hours | 1 | Too small to prioritise |
| 2-5 hours | 2 | Minor time sink |
| 5-15 hours | 3 | Moderate impact |
| 15-30 hours | 4 | Major time consumer |
| > 30 hours | 5 | Critical bottleneck |
Why this matters: Time savings directly translate to cost savings. A process consuming 20 hours/week costs $46,800/year at $45/hour loaded cost.
Factor 2: Error Rate & Impact (1-5 points)
What happens when this process goes wrong? How often does it go wrong?
High-Impact Processes (Score 4-5)
- Billing and invoicing (frequent errors, significant consequences)
- Compliance documentation (critical errors, legal impact)
- Payroll (major financial impact)
- Safety systems (regulatory and safety concerns)
Factor 3: Implementation Ease (1-5 points)
How hard will this be to automate? Lower difficulty = higher score.
âś… Easy (Score 4-5)
Single system, repetitive, plug-and-play tools exist, 2-4 week timeline or less
❌ Hard (Score 1-2)
Multiple systems, exceptions, requires AI/ML, custom integration, 3+ month timeline
Why this matters: Your first automation should be a quick win. Build momentum, prove ROI, get budget for harder projects.
Factor 4: Strategic Value (1-5 points)
Beyond time/cost savings, how valuable is automating this process?
- Score 5: Enables scaling or competitive advantage
- Score 4: Directly improves customer experience
- Score 3: Improves quality or reliability
- Score 2: Improves internal efficiency
- Score 1: Nice to have, no strategic impact
Priority Score Formula
Calculate Your Score
Priority Score = Time Impact Ă— Error/Impact Ă— Implementation Ease Ă— Strategic Value
Score Ranges:
- 1-50: Low priority (consider skipping)
- 51-150: Medium priority (good candidates)
- 151-300: High priority (prioritise these)
- 301-625: Critical priority (do this first!)
Real-World Examples: Scored
Example: Inventory Replenishment
- Time Impact: 18 hours/week = 4 points
- Error/Impact: Stockouts stop production = 5 points
- Implementation Ease: Standard inventory tools = 4 points
- Strategic Value: Enables scaling, prevents crises = 5 points
- Priority Score: 4 Ă— 5 Ă— 4 Ă— 5 = 400 (CRITICAL)
Example: Customer Onboarding
- Time Impact: 25 hours/week = 4 points
- Error/Impact: Moderate if delayed = 3 points
- Implementation Ease: No-code tools exist = 5 points
- Strategic Value: Improves customer experience = 4 points
- Priority Score: 4 Ă— 3 Ă— 5 Ă— 4 = 240 (HIGH)
Example: Complex Financial Forecasting
- Time Impact: 8 hours/week = 3 points
- Error/Impact: Rare errors, low stakes = 2 points
- Implementation Ease: Requires custom ML = 1 point
- Strategic Value: Improves planning = 2 points
- Priority Score: 3 Ă— 2 Ă— 1 Ă— 2 = 12 (LOW - do later)
Your Step-by-Step Process
Ask each team: "What takes up the most time?" Review time tracking. Look for repetitive patterns. Output: 10-20 candidate processes.
Create spreadsheet with all factors. Assign scores (1-5) based on framework. Calculate Priority Score. Sort highest to lowest.
Document current process. Research solutions (2-3 vendors). Get real pricing. Calculate detailed ROI. Check for gotchas.
Select vendor/tool. Map timeline (add 20% buffer). Identify project owner. Plan training. Set success metrics.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Mistake 1: Starting with the Most Visible Problem
The trap: Executives complain about reports, so you automate reporting first—even though it scores low.
What to do instead: Show executives the prioritised list. Explain why their pet project scores lower. Offer to tackle it after quick wins prove value.
Mistake 2: Automating Broken Processes
The trap: "Our order fulfilment is a mess and takes forever—let's automate it!"
Why it fails: Automation makes efficient processes faster. It makes inefficient processes fail faster.
What to do instead: Fix the process first. Remove unnecessary steps. Clarify decision points. Then automate the streamlined version.
Mistake 3: Optimising for Perfection
The trap: Spend 6 months implementing the "perfect" solution that handles 100% of edge cases.
What to do instead: Implement an 80% solution in 4 weeks. Automate common cases. Let humans handle edge cases for now. Add sophistication later if ROI justifies it.
The 80/20 Rule for Automation
80% of your results come from automating the 20% of processes that are high-frequency, low-variability, and high-volume. Focus on these. Ignore the rest for now.
Key Takeaways
- Use the 4-factor framework: Time Impact, Error/Impact, Implementation Ease, Strategic Value
- Multiply all four scores to get a Priority Score (max 625)
- Processes scoring 300+ are critical—automate them first
- Start with "Quick Wins": high impact + easy implementation
- Avoid automating broken processes—fix them first, then automate
- Don't let politics override data—use objective scoring
- The 80/20 rule: Focus on high-frequency, low-variability, high-volume processes
- Build the 80% solution first—perfection can wait
The bottom line: Your first automation project sets the tone for everything that follows. Pick a quick win with high impact. Prove ROI in weeks, not months. Build momentum. Use savings to fund bigger projects.
