# Automation opportunity mapper

Free, vendor-neutral automation opportunity mapper. Score each process on impact and ease, plot them on a 2×2, get a ranked roadmap and the right approach for each, with the method and sources shown.

URL: https://smallbaydigital.com/tools/opportunity-map/  
Updated: 28 October 2026  
Publisher: SBD (smallbaydigital.com). Free, runs in the browser, nothing entered is stored on a server.

## In short

Automate first the processes that score high on both impact and ease. Impact is mostly the hours the work takes each month, plus the cost of a mistake and whether it touches customers or cash. Ease comes from fixed rules, structured input, few systems, stable steps, few exceptions and API access. Standardise any process that changes monthly or has more than about one exception in five before automating it.

## How to use it

1. **List the processes.** Add your own, or start from the typical processes for finance, sales, support, operations, people or IT.
2. **Answer eight questions each.** Volume and minutes, then rules, input, systems, stability, exceptions, API access, cost of a mistake and customer or cash contact.
3. **Read the matrix.** Each process is placed by impact and ease. Bubble size shows hours a month.
4. **Follow the roadmap.** Start with wave 1 quick wins, design the big bets next, batch the fill-ins and standardise anything unstable first.
5. **Model the return.** Open any process in the ROI calculator with its volume and timing filled in.

## Worked example

Supplier invoice entry: 900 invoices a month at 6 minutes each is 90 hours. Decisions mostly follow rules, invoices arrive as PDFs and emails, two or three systems are involved, the steps rarely change, 10 to 30% are exceptions, every system has an API and a mistake costs money. It scores 65 on impact and 67 on ease, a quick win. The suggested approach is AI extraction into a rules-based workflow, with a person reviewing the exceptions.

## Scoring

### Impact score

| Criterion | Weight | Scoring |
|---|---|---|
| Hours a month | 60% | Runs × minutes ÷ 60, on a log scale; 1,000 hours a month scores 100, 30 hours about 50 |
| Cost of a mistake | 25% | Little 10, rework 50, money or compliance 90 |
| Customers or cash | 15% | Yes 80, no 20 |

### Ease score

| Criterion | Weight | Scoring |
|---|---|---|
| Rules or judgement | 25% | Fixed 100, mostly 55, judgement 15 |
| Exceptions | 20% | Under 10% 100, 10 to 30% 50, over 30% 10 |
| Input type | 15% | Structured 100, documents 55, free text 25 |
| Systems touched | 15% | One 100, two or three 65, four or more 30 |
| Stability | 15% | Rarely 100, a few times a year 60, monthly 20 |
| API access | 10% | All 100, some 60, screens only 20 |

A process scoring 50 or more on both is a quick win; impact 50+ and ease under 50 is a big bet; the reverse is a fill-in; under 50 on both is parked.

## Approaches

- **Rules-based workflow** (chosen when: Fixed or mostly rules, structured input). Fixed rules, structured data, systems with APIs. A workflow tool moves the data and handles the standard path end to end.
- **AI extraction, then workflow** (chosen when: Rules apply, but the input is a document or email). Documents and emails read by a model into structured fields, checked against rules, and passed on. Low-confidence cases go to a person.
- **AI drafts, a person decides** (chosen when: Mostly judgement). The model gathers context and drafts the answer, quote or decision. A person approves before anything leaves. Time saved is lower but real.
- **Integration or browser automation** (chosen when: Screens only). One or more systems have no usable API. Budget for an integration layer or screen automation, and for more upkeep.
- **Standardise first** (chosen when: Unstable or over 30% exceptions). Steps change monthly or too many cases are exceptions. Automating now locks in the mess. Write the process down, cut the variants, then score it again.

## Terms

- **Impact score:** A 0 to 100 score from hours a month (60%), the cost of a mistake (25%) and contact with customers or cash (15%).
- **Ease score:** A 0 to 100 score from rules (25%), exceptions (20%), input type, systems touched and stability (15% each) and API access (10%).
- **Quick win:** A process scoring 50 or more on both impact and ease.
- **Big bet:** High impact but harder: messy input, many systems or judgement. Worth doing once the approach is proven.
- **Exception rate:** The share of cases that cannot follow the standard path. Above about one in five, standardise before automating.
- **Structured input:** Data that arrives in fixed fields, such as a form or a system record, rather than a document, email or call.
- **Human review:** A person checks or approves the output before it takes effect. Used where mistakes are costly or judgement is involved.
- **Standardise first:** Write the process down and cut its variants before automating, so the automation does not lock in the mess.

## Sources

- McKinsey Global Institute, [A future that works: automation, employment and productivity, 2017](https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/operations/our-insights/harnessing-automation-for-a-future-that-works). Technical automation potential by activity: predictable physical work 81%, processing data 69%, collecting data 64%. Fewer than 5% of occupations could be fully automated, so score tasks, not jobs. Used for: Weighting toward data collection and processing work.
- ICAEW, [Where could RPA work for your business](https://icaew.com/technical/technology/finance-in-a-digital-world/rpa-for-finance-professionals/where-could-rpa-work-for-your-business). Guidance for finance teams on choosing processes: rule-based, high volume, digital and structured inputs, and stable steps. Used for: Rules, volume, structured input and stability as criteria.
- Practitioner frameworks, Process selection criteria catalogues. Published selection guides agree on the criteria but not the cut-offs. Most treat exception rates above 15 to 20% as a warning, and favour processes that run the same way in 80 to 90% of cases. Used for: Exception bands and the standardise-first rule.
- NIST, [AI Risk Management Framework 1.0, 2023](https://www.nist.gov/itl/ai-risk-management-framework). A voluntary framework (Govern, Map, Measure, Manage) that ties the level of human oversight to the impact of an AI system’s decisions. Used for: Human review where mistakes are costly.

## FAQ

### How do you decide which processes to automate first?

Score each process on impact (hours a month, the cost of a mistake, whether it touches customers or cash) and on ease (fixed rules, structured input, few systems, stable steps, few exceptions, API access). Start with processes high on both. Large, hard processes come next, once the first wins have proved the approach.

### What makes a process a good candidate for automation?

High volume, decided by rules, structured or at least consistent input, steps that rarely change, fewer than about one case in five needing special handling, and systems that can be reached by API. A process that fails on stability or exceptions should be standardised before it is automated.

### Has AI changed which processes can be automated?

Yes, mainly on input. Documents, emails and free text that once ruled a process out can now be read by a model into structured data, with low-confidence cases sent to a person. Work that needs judgement is better suited to AI drafting with a person approving than to full automation.

### Should we automate a process that changes often?

Not yet. Automating an unstable process locks in its variations and raises upkeep. Document the current steps, cut the variants and exceptions, run it the new way for a few weeks, then score it again.

### When does an automated process need human review?

When a mistake costs money, breaks a compliance rule or reaches a customer, and whenever a model makes a judgement. Frameworks such as NIST’s AI Risk Management Framework tie the level of oversight to the impact of the decision.

### Is my data sent anywhere?

No. The mapper runs in your browser. Your list is saved in this browser only so it is there when you come back, and you can clear it at any time.