AI Workflow Audit · $1,500 · Two-Week Sprint

Before you build anything, know what's actually worth building.

Most AI automation failures happen before a single line of code is written. The wrong workflow gets automated, the ROI calculation ignores opportunity cost, and the implementation stalls because the process wasn't defined. This audit identifies your highest-ROI automation opportunity before you commit to building it.

$1,500
Fixed fee, no retainerTwo-week sprint · Written report · Implementation brief · 60-min walkthrough
Get Started → How to calculate AI ROI →
What's included

A specific recommendation, not a list of options.

Most audits give you a framework. This one gives you a decision — the specific automation to build first, why, what it will cost, and what it will return.

01
Workflow inventory
A structured review of your most time-consuming recurring tasks — how often they happen, how long they take, how consistent they are, and how rule-based versus judgment-dependent they are. This is the raw material for the recommendation.
02
Technology stack assessment
What tools you're currently paying for, what automation capabilities exist in those tools that you're not using, and what integrations between existing tools could eliminate manual handoffs. Most businesses find significant capability here before spending anything new.
03
Data quality and accessibility review
Automation runs on data. If your customer records are incomplete, your job data lives in email rather than a CRM, or your reporting inputs are inconsistent, the audit identifies those gaps and what needs to be in place before automation can work.
04
ROI estimate with opportunity cost
A specific ROI calculation for the recommended automation — including the commonly ignored opportunity cost of what the freed-up time will actually produce. You'll see the payback period, the annual return, and the assumptions driving both numbers.
05
Implementation brief
A written specification your developer or automation consultant can execute against directly — the process map, the tools required, the integration points, the testing criteria, and the governance model. You're not starting from scratch when you move to implementation.
06
Risk controls and governance
What could go wrong, how you'd know, and who owns it. Every automation needs a monitoring plan and an escalation path. This section defines both — so the automation runs unattended safely, not blindly.
How it fits with other services

Three ways to engage — matched to where you are.

Entry
AI Readiness Assessment
$497 · 5–7 business days
Evaluates your overall AI readiness across four dimensions and delivers a 90-day roadmap of opportunities. Right when you're not sure if you're ready for AI and want a structured picture before committing to anything.
Best for: "Are we ready for AI at all?"
This service
AI Workflow Audit
$1,500 · Two-week sprint
Deeper dive into specific workflows with a single clear recommendation, ROI estimate, and implementation brief. Right when you know you want to automate something but need expert analysis to identify the best starting point.
Best for: "We want to automate — what do we build first?"
Implementation
Fractional AI Consulting
From $750/month
Ongoing AI strategy and hands-on automation implementation. Right when you have a clear direction and want someone to build and maintain the automations rather than just advise. Audit fee applies as a credit.
Best for: "We know what we want to build — help us build it."
The audit fee applies as a credit toward implementation.
If you move to Fractional AI Consulting after the audit, the $1,500 fee is credited toward your first two months. You're not paying twice — you're paying for analysis that makes the implementation more targeted and less likely to stall. Most clients who do the audit before building save more than $1,500 in avoided false starts.
How it works

Two weeks from kickoff to implementation brief.

01
Kickoff and workflow intake — Day 1–2
A structured intake questionnaire covering your current workflows, tools, team structure, and the tasks you spend the most time on. Takes about 30 minutes to complete. This feeds the workflow inventory and shapes where the audit digs deepest.
02
Deep dive and analysis — Week 1
Review of your workflow responses, technology stack assessment against your actual tools, data quality evaluation, and ROI modeling for the top 2–3 automation candidates. This is where the prioritization happens — I'm looking for the automation that has the highest return, the lowest implementation risk, and the most clearly defined process.
03
Implementation brief — Week 2
The written implementation brief is the most time-intensive deliverable. It maps the exact process to be automated, specifies the tools and integrations, defines testing criteria, and documents the governance model. It's designed to be handed directly to a developer or automation consultant without additional translation.
04
Walkthrough call — End of Week 2
60-minute call to walk through every finding, review the ROI estimate, and discuss implementation options. Most clients leave with a clear decision on whether to implement in-house, use a freelancer, or move to Fractional AI Consulting — and a realistic timeline for each path.
Common questions

FAQ

How is this different from the AI Readiness Assessment? +

The AI Readiness Assessment ($497) is broader — it evaluates your overall readiness across four dimensions and produces a 90-day roadmap of opportunities. The AI Workflow Audit ($1,500) goes deeper on specific workflows and produces a single clear recommendation with an ROI estimate and an implementation brief ready to hand to a developer. The assessment tells you what's possible; the audit tells you exactly what to build first and what it will return.

Do I need to complete the AI Readiness Assessment first? +

No — they're independent engagements. If you already have a sense that you want to automate something specific and need expert analysis to identify the best candidate and build the business case, the audit is the right starting point. If you're not sure whether AI automation makes sense for your business at all, the assessment is the better first step.

What if the audit concludes that I shouldn't automate anything yet? +

That's a valid outcome and I'll tell you directly. If your processes aren't defined consistently enough to automate, or if your highest-frequency tasks are too judgment-dependent for current AI tools, the audit will say so — and tell you specifically what needs to be in place before automation makes sense. That's a more valuable output than a recommendation to build something that will stall.

Can you implement the automation after the audit? +

Yes — that's what Fractional AI Consulting covers. If you want to move to implementation, the audit fee applies as a $1,500 credit toward your first two months. The implementation brief becomes the brief I work from, so there's no ramp-up time and no redundant discovery work.

What size businesses is this designed for? +

Small businesses with 1–30 employees in service industries — professional services, trades, marketing, healthcare, real estate, and similar. The audit is calibrated for businesses that have real workflows and some existing tool infrastructure but haven't invested in enterprise-scale automation platforms.

AI Workflow Audit · $1,500 Fixed Fee

Know exactly what to build — before you build it.

Two-week sprint. Written audit report, ROI estimate, implementation brief, and a 60-minute walkthrough. If you move to implementation, the fee is a credit.

Get Started →