Identifying opportunities
Every business has dozens of tasks that could be automated. The hard part is knowing which ones to tackle first. This page gives you a practical framework for spotting the right opportunities and prioritizing them.
What to look for#
The best automation candidates share common traits. Walk through your daily operations and flag anything that matches:
- Repetitive tasks - anything done the same way, multiple times a day or week
- Data entry - copying information from one system to another
- Decision trees with clear rules - “if X, then Y” logic that doesn’t require judgment
- Communication templates - emails, messages, or notifications that follow a pattern
- Report generation - pulling data, formatting it, and sending it on a schedule
- Data movement between systems - syncing CRM to spreadsheet, inbox to task list
The Automation Opportunity Matrix#
Plot each candidate on two axes: how often it happens and how complex it is.
| Low complexity | High complexity | |
|---|---|---|
| High frequency | Automate first (quick wins) | Automate second (high value) |
| Low frequency | Maybe automate (nice to have) | Don’t automate (not worth it) |
Start in the top-left quadrant. These are your quick wins - tasks that happen constantly and are simple to automate. They build momentum and prove value fast. Then move to the top-right: high-frequency, complex tasks deliver the biggest long-term payoff but take more effort to set up.
Bottom-left tasks are worth automating eventually, but don’t prioritize them. Bottom-right tasks - rare and complicated - are almost never worth the investment.
How to find candidates#
The best technique is simple: ask your team. Sit down with each person and ask one question:
“What do you do every day that a robot could do?”
People know their own pain points. They just haven’t been asked.
Red flags that scream “automate me”#
Watch for these phrases in your team’s daily work:
- “I copy this from our CRM into the spreadsheet every morning”
- “I check this inbox every hour for new requests”
- “I send this same email every week with updated numbers”
- “I pull this report every Monday and forward it to the team”
Any time you see copy-paste between systems, scheduled manual checks, or templated communication, you’re looking at an automation opportunity.
Start a simple list. Over one week, write down every task that matches the criteria above. By Friday, you’ll have a prioritized backlog of automation opportunities.
Check your understanding#
Question: What traits do the best automation candidates share?
Repetitive tasks, data entry, decision trees with clear rules, communication templates, report generation, and data movement between systems.
Question: Which quadrant of the opportunity matrix should you automate first?
High frequency, low complexity - the quick wins. They build momentum and prove value fast. Then move to high-frequency, high-complexity tasks for the biggest long-term payoff.
Question: What is the simplest technique for finding automation candidates?
Ask your team: “What do you do every day that a robot could do?” People know their own pain points - they just have not been asked.
Next steps#
Now that you know what to look for, learn how automation actually works in Automation Basics.