Guides / AI automation
Is your business ready for AI?
A 10-question checklist.
Ten questions in four areas. Your number of yes answers shows whether the first step is a build or preparation.
Sevil ÖkmenCo-founder · Performance marketingPublished: 4 min read
A business is ready for AI when it has repetitive work with clear steps, digital data for that work, and tools that can connect to each other.
The ten questions below test this in four areas. They are the same four areas the free AI Readiness Check scores: automation potential, process maturity, data readiness and integration coverage. Answer each one yes or no.
Automation potential.
Is there work to hand off?
Do you have repetitive work that takes a few hours every week?
The gain is in proportion to the time the work takes. A task done once a month rarely needs a build.
Is it done with similar steps every time?
Similar steps suit automation; work that needs judgment suits an agent. Work that is rethought from scratch each time suits neither.
Does the work arrive regularly?
Work that arrives every day or every week keeps the system running and shows errors early.
Process maturity.
Can the work be described?
Can you write the steps on one page?
Work that cannot be written down cannot be built. A one-page description is the first draft of the build.
Is it clear how you know the work was done right?
Without a definition of the right result, you cannot measure whether the system works well.
Is it clear who decides on exceptions?
An agent leaves work it is unsure about to a person. That person should be named from the start.
Data readiness.
Is the information reachable?
Is the information digital and in one place?
If orders, customer messages and product details are kept by hand in different places, they are gathered first.
Do you have past examples?
Past replies and reports let an agent write in your own voice.
Integration coverage.
Do the tools connect?
Can the tools you use connect to each other?
Most tools such as Shopify, Etsy, accounting software and email can connect. A tool that cannot connect means a manual step in the workflow.
Are the accounts and access in your name?
The system is built in your own accounts. If an account is in someone else’s name, it is transferred first.
How to read the result.
Your number of yes answers is a rough measure. The check gives the detailed score.
| Yes answers | Where you are | First step |
|---|---|---|
| 8–10 | You are ready for a build. | Start with a single process. Process automation takes 1–2 weeks, a single agent 3–4 weeks. |
| 5–7 | Some preparation is missing. | Close the questions you answered no. AI Readiness Discovery tells you in writing, in 5 business days, which work suits what. |
| 0–4 | The basics come first. | Pick one task, write its steps and gather its data in one place. The build comes after. |
Being ready does not mean handing everything off. You start with one task, written steps and reachable data; the rest is learned from that task.
We explain which work suits automation and which suits an agent in AI agent or automation? For a written roadmap, see AI Readiness Discovery.
What’s your starting point?
See your score across four areas and your first three automation opportunities with the free AI Readiness Check. It takes about four minutes.