What This Resource Covers
- Workflow inventory method
- Four-criteria scoring: volume, value, repeatability, risk
- Prioritization matrix for sequencing pilots
- When to choose AI-assist versus AI-automate
Who It Is For
- Executives selecting the first AI projects to fund
- Operators building an AI roadmap for the year
- Owners comparing vendor pitches against internal opportunity
Why It Matters
- Picking the wrong first AI project burns budget and credibility.
- A scored opportunity list lets leadership defend the roadmap with evidence.
- Repeatable, high-volume, low-risk workflows produce visible return inside one quarter.
Key Concepts
Scoring Criteria
- Volume: how often the workflow runs per week or month
- Value: dollars created or saved per execution
- Repeatability: how consistent the inputs and rules are
- Risk: cost of an AI error and ease of reversal
Prioritization Matrix
Plot each candidate on a two-by-two matrix of value versus repeatability. High-value, high-repeatability candidates with manageable risk become the first pilots. Low-repeatability work stays human until the process is stabilized.
AI-Assist vs AI-Automate
AI-assist keeps a human in the decision loop and is the correct default for high-risk or high-judgment work. AI-automate hands the workflow to the system end-to-end and is appropriate only after assist mode has proven accuracy.
How To Use It
- List the top 20 recurring workflows in the business
- Score each on the four criteria
- Pick the top three for pilot
- Decide assist or automate before any tool selection
Related Framework
This resource is most often paired with LocalAI Catalyst™, Iron Eagle's AI Audit System. It also references the methodology authored by Joe Dierickx, Executive Growth Consultant and founder of Iron Eagle Digital Solutions.