Your AI Readiness Roadmap
A practical framework for Australian businesses. No jargon. No hype. Just a clear path from "we should probably look into AI" to measurable results.
Before you touch any AI tool, you need to understand your own workflows. Spend one week documenting every recurring task in your business. Be thorough. Include the small things people do without thinking.
For each process, record: who does it, how often, how long it takes, what triggers it and what the output is. This map becomes the foundation of your entire AI strategy.
10-15
automatable processes found in a typical SME
40%
of staff time spent on repetitive admin tasks
3-5
high-impact quick wins identified immediately
Ready: Digital and Structured
CRM data, accounting records, digital forms. AI can work with this immediately.
Partially Ready: Digital but Unstructured
Emails, PDFs, word documents. AI can process these with some setup.
Needs Work: Mixed Digital and Paper
Some digital, some paper. Digitise the paper first, then automate.
Not Ready: Mostly Paper
Primarily paper-based. Start with digitisation before AI implementation.
AI runs on data. The better your data, the better the results. Assess where your business data lives, how clean it is and whether it is accessible.
Good news: you do not need a data warehouse or a team of analysts. Most SMEs have perfectly usable data sitting in their existing tools. Xero, Google Sheets, CRMs, email archives and file systems.
The key question is not "do we have enough data?" but "can AI access the data we already have?" In most cases, the answer is yes with minimal effort.
Do not try to automate everything at once. Pick one process that is high-frequency, clearly defined and consuming significant time. This is your proof of concept.
The best first automations are the ones where success is easy to measure. Hours saved per week. Errors eliminated. Faster response times. Pick something where you can show a clear before and after.
Common first wins include: automated email responses, invoice generation, appointment reminders, data entry from forms and weekly report compilation.
Invoice Processing
Auto-generate, send and follow up on invoices. Saves 3 to 5 hours per week.
Email Triage
Sort, prioritise and auto-respond to routine enquiries. Saves 5 to 8 hours per week.
Appointment Scheduling
Online booking with automated confirmations and reminders. Reduces no-shows by 80%.
Month 1: First Automation Live
One process automated, baseline metrics established, team trained
Month 2-3: Expand to 3-5 Processes
Proven ROI funds expansion, team gets comfortable with AI-assisted work
Month 4-6: Connected Workflows
Individual automations connect into end-to-end workflows, compounding gains
Month 6+: AI-Augmented Operations
AI is embedded in daily operations, team focuses on high-value work only
Once your first automation is live, measure everything. Track time saved, errors reduced, response times improved and money recovered. Hard numbers build the case for expanding.
Use those numbers to prioritise the next automation. Each one should have a clear, measurable goal before you start. This prevents "automation for automation's sake" and keeps the focus on business outcomes.
Within 3 to 6 months, your business will operate fundamentally differently. Not because of some big transformation project, but because you systematically eliminated the repetitive work that was holding everyone back.
Flowtivity can run a full AI readiness assessment for your business in a single 30-minute session. You will walk away with a prioritised list of automations and a clear implementation roadmap.
Book Your Free Assessment