Choose a Workflow Pilot: A Practical Selection Worksheet

Start with a real handoff

Name a recurring piece of work that moves between people or systems. Illustrative examples: an incoming request that needs review, an approval with a clear decision point, or a report assembled from recurring inputs. Write down where the work starts, who handles it now, what decision or check happens, and what signals that the work is complete. Keep the boundary narrow. “Route requests to the right reviewer” is easier to assess than “automate operations.”

Compare candidates against four conditions

List two or three possible workflows, then describe each using the worksheet. Look for evidence from current work, such as a sample request, an existing checklist, or a clear explanation from the person who handles the handoff. If you don’t know an answer, record it in the unknowns row along with who will find out and what they need. Repeatability: Does the work follow a recognisable sequence? Note which steps stay the same and which depend on judgement. Exceptions: What commonly sends the work down a different path? Name the exception and who decides what happens next. A workflow with exceptions can still be a useful candidate if those cases are visible and have an owner. Ownership: Is there a named person responsible for the decision, the handoff and unresolved cases? If ownership changes by request type, record that distinction. Data readiness: Can the team identify the information needed to start and complete the workflow? Note where it comes from, whether it is accessible to the people doing the work, and what is missing or inconsistent.

Choose a candidate and name the open questions

Compare the unknowns before choosing a candidate. If one workflow has fewer unanswered questions and a person who can explain its current path, start there. If two candidates look similar, ask their owners to bring an ordinary example and an exception. Check whether the inputs are available and whether someone can decide what happens in the unusual case. A missing decision owner or inaccessible input is preparation work. Use the unknowns row to record the question, who will resolve it and what they need to find out. Use the final rows to choose whether to discuss now, prepare first, or set aside, and record the next action and its owner.

Discuss the workflow

Valytech connects your tools and automates the work between them. Bring the completed comparison and one representative example with sensitive details removed. Use them to discuss the candidate, its decision owner and the questions still open. Agree what starts the work, which decisions stay with a person and how the team will check that the workflow completed correctly.

Candidate workflow comparison

Illustrative planning template. Replace sample entries with your team's own details.

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