Predicate Ventures

Is This Workflow AI-Ready? 3 Questions

·2 min read·local businessAI readinessworkflow automationsmall business

A two-minute self-check before you fill out the full Scorecard.

Blake Aber · Predicate Ventures · 2026

Not sure whether a workflow in your business is worth taking to AI? Start here. Three questions, two minutes. This isn't the full diagnostic. The 30-Day Shippable Scorecard is. But these three tell you quickly whether the conversation is worth having.

Question 1: Does one named person in your business spend 5 or more hours a week on this workflow?

If yes → keep going.

If no → not ready. AI can't return hours from a workflow no one has measured. Figure out who owns it and how much time it actually takes, then come back.

Question 2: Does the workflow produce the same kind of output every time, even if the specific inputs vary?

If yes → keep going.

If no → probably not a 30-day fit. AI is good at "this looks like the last hundred of these. The answer is X." It's bad at novel situations that require judgment you've never applied before. If every instance of the workflow is fundamentally different, the problem is workflow definition, not AI.

Question 3: Would you be comfortable with AI handling 80% of this workflow if a human reviews the remaining 20%?

If yes → this workflow is worth a longer look. Forward it to whoever manages that workflow and have them fill out the Scorecard.

If no → pause here. The 30-day model requires a human in the loop. Some workflows need to be 100% correct with no review stage: medical, legal, or financial decisions with direct consequences. That's a different conversation, and a different timeline.

If all three are yes, the workflow is likely in the zone. The 30-Day Shippable Scorecard takes 10 minutes. It tells you whether it's a clean fit before we ever talk.