Impact Factors in AI Prioritization

Impact factors tell you where the real value lives. They help you see which workstreams will deliver meaningful benefits, both internally and for your clients. Get this right, and choosing what to automate becomes much simpler.

1. People Involved

How many people across your firm does this workstream affect?

Context matters here. Impacting five people in a 10-person firm is significant. In a 1,000-person firm, it barely registers. Always think about involvement as a proportion of your total team.

Examples:

High Impact: Automating your annual performance review process affects nearly everyone

Low Impact: A specialized audit tool used by a handful of experts

2. Client Value

Does this directly improve your client's experience?

Think about what clients actually feel: faster turnaround times, fewer errors, better insights, smoother communication. The more visible the benefit to clients, the higher the impact.

Examples:

High Impact: AI-enhanced customer support that cuts response times in half

Low Impact: Minor internal admin improvements clients never see or feel

3. Commercial Value

Is there a clear revenue opportunity here?

This is distinct from client value. Something your clients appreciate doesn't always translate into something they'll pay extra for.

Examples:

High Impact: Premium AI-driven financial insights your clients are willing to purchase

Low Impact: Internal process automation that helps efficiency but doesn't create new revenue streams

4. Efficiency Gains

What's the productivity upside?

Time saved, costs cut, errors reduced. High efficiency gains directly boost your bottom line.

Examples:

High Impact: Automating repetitive accounting tasks and cutting labor hours significantly

Low Impact: Slightly optimizing a rarely performed internal task

5. Strategic Alignment

How well does this workstream align with your firm's long-term goals?

Even if immediate gains aren't obvious, strategically aligned workstreams are critical for sustained success.

Examples:

High Impact: Fits directly into your strategic goal of becoming a digital-first firm

Low Impact: Minor internal improvements unrelated to strategic priorities

Relativity Matters

Always assess impact relative to your firm's specific context. A process that looks minor on its own might become crucial when you consider it alongside similar tasks.

For example, automating email sorting or meeting scheduling individually might seem small. But bundle them into a broader "Administrative Automation" initiative, and their collective impact on firm productivity becomes substantial.

Boosting Impact by Clustering Workstreams

Sometimes individual workstreams score low on impact when evaluated alone. Try bundling related processes into clusters to reveal their combined strength and highlight the potential for real improvements. Just don't go overboard—the more complex the workstream, the lower its feasibility.

Practical Tip: Group related administrative or client-service tasks into clear categories. Clustering these tasks often reveals a much higher combined impact, which makes the decision to automate them easier.