A workflow audit template you can run on yourself

Most businesses we talk to have 5-10 workflows that should be automated but aren’t. The gap isn’t knowing what to automate — it’s knowing where to start.

This template gives you the same framework we use in our paid audit. You can run it on your business right now, without hiring anyone. And if you want help executing, we’re one Calendly link away.

What this audit template does

The goal is simple: find the automation that saves you the most time per dollar spent.

It does three things:

Documents your current manual process so you can see exactly what you’re working with
Quantifies the cost of not automating (time wasted, errors made, follow-ups missed)
Prioritizes so you start with the workflow that gives you the biggest return first

You don’t need special software for this. A spreadsheet works fine.

The three questions

Every workflow in your business answers these three questions. Write them down.

Question 1: What manual work takes the most time?

List every recurring task that takes 15+ minutes. Be specific — “enter invoice data into QuickBooks” not just “accounting.”

Include:

Data entry between tools
Copy-paste between spreadsheets
Report compilation from multiple sources
Follow-up emails that should be automatic
Onboarding sequences that require manual steps

For each item, note:

How many times does this happen per week?
How long does it take each time?

Question 2: What would happen if this work stopped?

For each task on your list, ask:

If this task failed tomorrow, what breaks?
If you saved 4 hours per week on this task, what would your team do with that time?
What’s the cost of not doing it? (missed follow-ups, data errors, delays in reporting?)

This is where most people realize their “small” manual tasks are actually expensive.

Question 3: What would it take to automate this?

For each task, ask:

What tools does this involve today?
Is there already an integration between them?
If not, what’s the automation platform? (n8n, Make, Zapier, or custom code)
How complex is the workflow? (number of steps, decision points, exceptions)

A rough estimate: simple 2-tool integrations take 1-3 days. Complex workflows with 4+ steps and decision logic take 1-2 weeks with an experienced builder.

The scoring matrix

Once you’ve answered the three questions for each workflow, score them. This is the template:

Workflow	Frequency/week	Time per occurrence (min)	Complexity (1-5)	Time saved/week	Priority score
Invoice data entry	5	20	2	80 min	200
Lead follow-up emails	15	5	3	45 min	225
Weekly report compilation	1	120	4	100 min	25

How to calculate priority score:

Priority = (Frequency/week × Time saved/week) / Complexity

Higher score = start here.

Complexity is 1-5:

1 = simple, 2 tools, no decision logic
2 = 2-3 tools, some conditional steps
3 = 3+ tools, decision branches, error handling
4 = complex logic, multiple exceptions, data transformation
5 = multi-step pipeline, state management, external dependencies

[PLACEHOLDER: Scoring matrix example screenshot]

In the example above, “Lead follow-up emails” scores 225 — highest priority. “Weekly report compilation” scores only 25 despite taking 2 hours — because it happens once a week, not every day.

How to build this in a spreadsheet today

Create a table with these columns: Workflow, Frequency/week, Time per occurrence (min), Complexity (1-5), Time saved/week, Priority score
Add your workflows from question 1
Fill in frequency and time estimates
Rate complexity (be honest — underestimating complexity is how automations fail)
Calculate time saved as: frequency × time per occurrence × 0.8 (account for exceptions and edge cases)
Calculate priority score
Sort by priority score, highest first

[PLACEHOLDER: Spreadsheet template layout]

Start with your top 3. If you can automate those three before anything else, you’ll have saved the most time for the least effort.

When to hire help

If you’ve scored everything and still can’t decide where to start — that’s exactly what our paid audit is for. $500 gets you a 60-minute call plus a written report with your top 3 automation opportunities and specific recommendations for each.

If a workflow involves 3+ tools and complex decision logic, it’s usually worth paying someone to build it right the first time. A failed automation doesn’t save any time and often creates more work.

If it’s a simple 2-tool integration — Zapier or Make handles most of these — you might be able to DIY in an afternoon.

Want the spreadsheet template?

We’ll send you the template as part of your audit call prep. It takes 30 minutes to run through yourself, and when we’re done with the call you’ll have a clear picture of where to start.

Book a free 30-min audit → and we’ll send you the template as part of the call prep.