Introduction
You know the saying: “The numbers don’t lie.”
When you gather enough data, patterns always start to emerge.
Sure enough, when we dug into the last two years of business automation projects, the same themes came up again and again.
We noticed that companies of all sizes and industries tend to struggle with the same kinds of inefficiencies.
Some are obvious, like tasks that eat up way too much time. Others stay hidden until they create bottlenecks that slow growth.
That led us to build this quick assessment–think of it as a high-level temperature check for your automation needs.
It is not meant to replace a deep dive, but it will give you a fast way to see if your business may be ready for a more formal review with an automation engineer.
How to Use This Quick Assessment
This is not about taking one task and running it through the list. Instead, step back and think about your organization as a whole.
Where do you see recurring pain points? Where does your team feel slowed down or stretched thin? Which areas of your operations consistently drain time, create frustration, or make it harder to grow?
As you go through this assessment, evaluate your company holistically. The more these points resonate across your organization, the stronger the case for exploring automation and process optimization.
The Quick Assessment
1. Repetition
Do you have entire areas of the business where tasks are performed over and over in the same way?
Example: Invoice processing, scheduling, or reporting.
2. Error-Prone
Are there recurring issues with mistakes when processes are handled manually?
Example: Data entry across finance, sales, or HR.
3. Time-Consuming
Are teams spending significant hours on low-value, manual tasks?
Example: Generating reports, updating records, or chasing approvals.
4. Rule-Based
Do you rely on processes that follow clear if/then steps that could be automated?
Example: Approval chains or compliance workflows.
5. Data-Heavy
Does your organization depend on moving large amounts of data between systems?
Example: Forecasting, customer reporting, or inventory tracking.
6. Scalability Issues
Are there processes that clearly will not scale as the company grows?
Example: Manual onboarding, vendor management, or project tracking.
7. Cross-Department Bottlenecks
Do handoffs between teams regularly slow things down?
Example: Sales passing projects to operations, or HR coordinating with finance.
8. Compliance and Audit Needs
Are there areas of the business that need detailed tracking and reporting for compliance?
Example: Safety, finance, or regulated industries.
9. Customer Impact
Do inefficiencies inside your company spill over into delays or mistakes that affect customers?
Example: Service scheduling, order fulfillment, or response times.
10. High Cost of Delay
Do slow processes consistently cost money or cause missed opportunities?
Example: Lengthy approvals delaying projects or purchases.
How to Use the Quick Assessment
Review your organization holistically against each of these criteria. If five or more resonate across your company, it is a strong sign that growth is being slowed and automation should be on your radar. Even if only two or three stand out, the cost of inefficiency may still justify a solution.
Conclusion
Broken processes cost money, frustrate employees, and hold back growth. The good news is they are fixable. Use this quick assessment as a high-level temperature check across your entire organization. If several of these points resonate, it may be time for a deeper conversation.
That is where a formal review with an automation engineer can make all the difference. Click here to book your call and we can walk through your processes together to identify the biggest opportunities for improvement.