AI Workflow Discovery Template
Capture the operating reality before designing the automation
Use this template to turn a loosely described process into an implementation-ready workflow map. The goal is to document what happens today, where judgment enters, what systems are touched, and where an AI-enabled workflow could safely help.
Discovery Worksheet
Workflow name and objective
Workflow: What is the process called internally?
Business objective: What outcome is the workflow meant to produce?
Owner: Who is accountable for the process and its rules?
Trigger and volume
What starts the workflow? Record the approximate volume, frequency, seasonality, and whether work arrives in batches or continuously.
Inputs
List documents, emails, forms, database records, customer messages, events, and reference data. Note which inputs are structured, unstructured, missing, duplicated, or sensitive.
Current steps
Write each major step in order. For every step, record who performs it, which system is used, what information is required, and what output is produced.
Decisions and rules
Identify business rules, thresholds, approval requirements, lookups, classification decisions, and judgment calls. Separate explicit policy from individual habit.
Exceptions
List the cases that do not follow the normal path. Include missing information, conflicting data, low confidence, special customers, policy exceptions, failed integrations, and cases requiring escalation.
Systems and permissions
Record every system the workflow reads from or writes to. For each one, identify available APIs or integration methods, required credentials, allowed actions, and security constraints.
Controls
Document required approvals, separation of duties, audit logging, access restrictions, retention rules, review checkpoints, and any action that must remain human-owned.
Success measures
Define what should improve and how it can be observed. Useful measures may include queue time, manual touches, exception rate, completion rate, rework, response consistency, or reviewer effort. Use your own baseline rather than assuming a vendor benchmark.
What You Should Have After Discovery
A Process Map
A shared view of triggers, steps, decisions, systems, owners, and outputs.
An Exception Inventory
A practical list of cases that need fallback behavior, additional data, or human review.
An Integration Inventory
The applications, interfaces, permissions, and dependencies the solution must work with.
A Control Model
Clear boundaries for what can be automated, what needs approval, and what must be logged.
Acceptance Criteria
Testable definitions of correct behavior, safe failure, and appropriate escalation.
A Phased Scope
A realistic first release that can be tested before expanding authority or workflow coverage.
Turn the Worksheet Into a Solution Design
KeenSight can use the completed discovery template to frame architecture, integrations, controls, evaluation, and rollout scope.