The ten questions as a checklist
https://archon-partners.com/guides/automation-readiness-architecture-firm/

From Archon & Partners. Our own rubric, not a benchmark. Check one task at a time.

=== 1. Readiness checklist for one task ===
When: Before you automate any admin task, and again two weeks after you tidy it.
Subject: Task: [the task you are checking]

1. Does the task happen at least once a week?
   [ ] Yes  [ ] Partly  [ ] No
   If not yes: Batch it: if it only happens monthly, a checklist and a prompt may be all it needs.
2. Are the steps the same each time, with few exceptions?
   [ ] Yes  [ ] Partly  [ ] No
   If not yes: List the last five times it happened and mark where each one differed. Automate the common path; leave exceptions to a person.
3. Are the steps written down anywhere?
   [ ] Yes  [ ] Partly  [ ] No
   If not yes: Write the procedure first. Talk through the last time you did it and turn that into numbered steps.
4. Are the inputs digital (email, a form, a spreadsheet, a PDF), not paper or memory?
   [ ] Yes  [ ] Partly  [ ] No
   If not yes: Move the input to one digital place: a form for inquiries, a folder for receipts, a log for invoices.
5. Does each input live in one known place?
   [ ] Yes  [ ] Partly  [ ] No
   If not yes: Pick the one place each input lives and tell the team. Two invoice logs means neither is right.
6. Are files, projects and clients named the same way every time?
   [ ] Yes  [ ] Partly  [ ] No
   If not yes: Agree a naming pattern (for example a project code first) and rename the active projects.
7. Does one person own the task?
   [ ] Yes  [ ] Partly  [ ] No
   If not yes: Name an owner. An automation needs someone who notices when it stops.
8. Will someone review what the automation produces before it reaches a client?
   [ ] Yes  [ ] Partly  [ ] No
   If not yes: Decide who reads the drafts, and when. Without a reviewer, keep the task manual.
9. Do you have admin access to the tools involved (email, drive, accounting)?
   [ ] Yes  [ ] Partly  [ ] No
   If not yes: Find out who holds the admin logins and whether the tools allow connections to other software.
10. Do you know what client data the task touches, and whether your contracts limit where it can go?
   [ ] Yes  [ ] Partly  [ ] No
   If not yes: Read the confidentiality clause in your standard contract and the AI tool's data terms. See the privacy guide.

Result: [Ready to automate / Tidy first / Write it down first]
Two answers override the score: if nobody will review the output (question 8) or you do not know what client data the task touches (question 10), the result is Tidy first.