Free self-assessment

AI Readiness Checklist

Twelve questions. Five minutes. A clear picture of where automation fits your business.

Score each question honestly. There are no wrong answers, only useful ones.

Your Operations

Q1Can you describe your team's most time-consuming repetitive task in one sentence?Yes, and I could tell you roughly how long it takes each timeI have a general idea, but I haven't timed itI'd need to ask around

Why this matters: If you can't name the problem, you can't scope the solution. The businesses that get the most from automation are the ones that arrive knowing exactly which task is eating their week.

Q2Is that process written down somewhere, or does it live in someone's head?Documented step by step (even if it's rough)Partly written down, partly tribal knowledgeIt lives entirely in one person's head

Why this matters: Automation needs a recipe. If your best process only exists as instinct in someone's brain, the first step is getting it onto paper, not into software.

Q3Are your core workflows running on digital systems?Yes, we use business software for our key operationsMix of digital and manual. A few spreadsheets doing more than they shouldMostly paper-based or heavily manual

Why this matters: AI plugs into digital systems. If your operation runs on paper job cards and whiteboard schedules, there's a digitisation step before automation makes sense.

Your Data

Q4Do you have a single source of truth for customer or client information?One system, everyone uses itMostly, but some info lives in email threads or side spreadsheetsCustomer data is scattered across multiple places

Why this matters: AI can pull from one well. It struggles with five leaky buckets. Centralised data is the single biggest predictor of a smooth automation project.

Q5If I asked for last month's key business metric, could you pull it in under five minutes?Yes, it's in a dashboard or report we already runI could find it, but it'd take some diggingWe don't track that consistently

Why this matters: If you can't measure the before, you can't prove the after. Knowing your baseline numbers turns an automation project from a hunch into a business case.

Q6Can your existing tools share data with each other?Yes, our systems already integrate or have APIs availableSome can, some can't. Haven't really testedEach tool is its own island

Why this matters: The best automations connect systems that already exist. If your tools can talk to each other (even if they're not doing it yet), half the plumbing is already done.

Your Team

Q7Has anyone on your team used AI tools without being asked to?Yes, several people are already experimentingOne or two have had a goNot that I'm aware of

Why this matters: Grassroots curiosity is the best leading indicator. Teams that are already poking at AI tools adopt new automation faster and with less friction.

Q8If you introduced a new tool tomorrow, how would your team react?Curious. They'd want to try itMixed. Some keen, some resistantThere'd be eye-rolling and quiet resistance

Why this matters: The best automation in the world fails if nobody uses it. We've learned to start with the willing, prove value fast, and let adoption spread naturally.

Q9Is there someone on your team who could dedicate 2–3 hours a week to testing and feedback during implementation?Yes, I know exactly whoProbably, but I'd need to move some things aroundEveryone's at capacity as it is

Why this matters: Every automation project needs a champion on the inside. Not a full-time role, just someone who cares enough to test, flag issues, and tell us when something doesn't match how the work actually happens.

Your Business Case

Q10Can the decision to invest in automation be made by one or two people?Yes, decision-making here is leanSmall group, but we can move within a few weeksIt would need multiple layers or a formal procurement process

Why this matters: Speed matters more than people expect. The NZ businesses getting the most from AI right now are the ones that can go from 'yes' to 'building' inside a fortnight.

Q11Is there budget available for a project in the $2,500 to $15,000 range?Yes, that's within our discretionary spendPossible, but would need sign-offThat's a significant investment for us right now

Why this matters: Honest question, honest answer. Our discovery engagements start at $2,500 and most production builds land under $15,000. If that range doesn't work today, it might later, and this checklist will still be useful when it does.

Q12Do you know what 'success' looks like for automating that task from Question 1?Yes. I can describe it in measurable terms: hours saved, calls caught, errors eliminatedI have a general sense, but I haven't put numbers on itNot really. I just know something needs to change

Why this matters: 'Make things better' is a wish. 'Save the team four hours a week on compliance paperwork' is a project. The clearer your finish line, the faster we get there.