How to Score & Prioritize a Workstream

Some workflows are no-brainers: repetitive, predictable, data-heavy. Others are messy, require too much judgment, or happen so rarely they're not worth the effort.

The trick is knowing which is which before you invest time and budget. That's where scoring comes in. Instead of going with your gut, you'll have a structured way to evaluate every workstream on two dimensions: how much value automation would create (Impact) and how realistic it is to actually pull off (Feasibility).

The Core Idea: Score It to Sort It

Not all processes are equally automatable, and not all are equally valuable to automate.

You just need to answer two questions for each workstream:

Impact Factors: How much value would this create?

Feasibility Factors: How hard would it be to implement?

Each question breaks down into five specific attributes. You score each on a 1–5 scale, combine the scores, and suddenly you've got a clear picture of where AI makes sense.

Feasibility Attributes

1. Systems & Tools Involved

How many different systems does this workstream touch?

The simpler your tech stack, the easier AI integrates.

Score 1: Multiple disconnected systems

Score 5: Single, integrated platform

2. Technical Complexity

How complex is the work itself, and how often does it change?

Simple, stable processes automate easily. Nuanced, judgment-heavy work doesn't.

Score 1: Multi-step, variable work that requires constant decision-making

Score 5: Straightforward, consistent, rules-based tasks

3. Data Complexity

Is your data clean and structured, or is it all over the place?

Score 1: Unstructured, messy data (scanned docs, handwritten notes, random PDFs)

Score 5: Standardized and structured

4. Time to Implement

How fast can you realistically get this up and running?

Score 1: Months-long planning and implementation

Score 5: Days or weeks

5. Resources Required

What will this cost in time, budget, and people?

Score 1: High resources, cross-functional involvement

Score 5: Minimal resources, managed by a small team

Impact Attributes

1. Number of People Involved

How many people across your firm does this process affect?

The broader the reach, the bigger the win from automation.

Score 1: Used by one person or a small team

Score 5: Firm-wide process that touches everyone

2. Client Value

Will your clients notice the difference?

Faster responses, fewer errors, better insights all add up.

Score 1: Minimal direct client impact

Score 5: Significant improvement in client experience

3. Commercial Value

Is there a clear revenue opportunity here?

Not everything clients appreciate translates to new revenue.

Score 1: Little to no direct revenue potential

Score 5: Clear path to increased revenue or profitability

4. Efficiency Gains

What's the ROI in saved time, reduced costs, or fewer errors?

Score 1: Minor efficiency improvement

Score 5: Huge savings in time, cost, scalability, or risk reduction

5. Strategic Alignment

How important is this process to your firm's long-term goals?

AI should support what matters most.

Score 1: Peripheral, unrelated to strategic priorities

Score 5: Core to your firm's strategic direction, mission-critical

How to Score Clearly & Practically

Rate each attribute from 1 to 5 using real scenarios to keep things consistent across workstreams.

Remember: scores are relative to your firm. What's mission-critical for a 10-person firm looks different at a 500-person firm.

Combine scores for each dimension by averaging or summing them up.

Validate with your team. The people doing the work know what rings true.

Adjust granularity if needed. If something scores high on impact but low on feasibility, consider breaking it into smaller chunks to boost feasibility.

This structured approach cuts through the guesswork and gives you clarity on which workstreams offer maximum benefit with realistic paths to implementation.