---
title: "Automation Audit Scorecard: What to Automate First (Free)"
description: "Free automation audit spreadsheet for small businesses. Score recurring tasks by cost, readiness, and effort to see what to automate first and what to fix..."
url: https://pinstripeservices.com/automation-audit-scorecard
updated: 2026-09-28
publisher: Pinstripe Business Services LLC
---

# Automation Audit Scorecard: What to Automate First

Automate first the tasks that cost you the most time and mistakes, follow the same steps every time, start from digital data, and are easy to build with tools you already have. This scorecard puts a yearly dollar cost on each recurring task, scores its readiness and effort, and ranks them, so you know what to automate, what to plan, and what to clean up first.

[Download the spreadsheet (.xlsx)](https://pinstripeservices.com/downloads/automation-audit-scorecard.xlsx) [Download the PDF](https://pinstripeservices.com/downloads/automation-audit-scorecard.pdf)

## The scorecard (Excel)

One row per task. Enter how often it happens, how long it takes, what mistakes cost, and three 1 to 5 scores. It calculates the annual cost, a priority, a verdict, and a rank. Opens in Excel, Google Sheets, or Numbers.

## The rubric and worksheet (PDF)

The scoring rubric, the math, what each verdict means, a worked example, and a blank scorecard to fill in by hand during a team meeting.

## How each task is scored

Annual cost is the time a task takes, at the hourly cost of whoever does it, plus what its mistakes cost, times twelve. Readiness is the average of the rules and data scores. Priority is annual cost times readiness, divided by effort.

### Rules (1 to 5)

- 1: Judgment every time; no two are alike
- 3: Same steps most of the time, with regular exceptions
- 5: Identical steps every time; you could write them on a card

### Data (1 to 5)

- 1: Paper, phone calls, or free-form conversations
- 3: Emails or PDFs that someone has to read and retype
- 5: Already in a form, app, or spreadsheet with consistent fields

### Effort (1 to 5)

- 1: A setting or built-in feature in software you already pay for
- 3: A multi-step workflow in Zapier or Make, or a new app
- 5: Custom development or replacing a core system

### What the verdicts mean

Standardize first

Readiness below 3

The steps change every time or the inputs are messy. Write down how it should be done and run it that way for a month. Then score it again.

Leave it manual

Ready, but costs under $1,500 a year

Not worth a project yet. Revisit it when volume grows.

Automate first

Ready, worth it, and effort 1 or 2

Start here. Usually a built-in feature or a simple Zapier or Make workflow you can finish in days.

Plan the project

Ready and worth it, but effort 3 or more

Worth doing, but it needs a real plan: a connector, some custom work, or a change of tools. Sequence it after the quick wins.

## A worked example

Six recurring tasks at a hypothetical service business, sorted by priority. The most expensive task is not at the top, and the crew schedule is not ready to automate at all.

Automation audit scores for a hypothetical service business
| Task | Hours / month | Annual cost | Readiness | Effort | Priority | Verdict |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Send invoices after each job | 8.0 | $4,320 | 4.5 | 1 | 194 | Automate first |
| Reply to website quote requests | 10.0 | $10,800 | 3.5 | 3 | 126 | Plan the project |
| Enter receipts into QuickBooks | 4.0 | $2,340 | 3.5 | 1 | 82 | Automate first |
| Remind customers the day before a visit | 3.7 | $2,760 | 5 | 2 | 69 | Automate first |
| Build next week's crew schedule | 8.0 | $6,240 | 2.5 | 4 | 39 | Standardize first |
| Chase unsigned estimates | 2.0 | $720 | 4 | 2 | 14 | Leave it manual |

Hypothetical example for illustration, not a client result.

## How to run the audit

1. 1
    
    ### List every recurring task for two weeks
    
    Keep a running list of anything that happens more than once a month: data entry, reminders, follow-ups, reports, copying between apps. Ask everyone on the team to add to it.
    
2. 2
    
    ### Estimate frequency and time
    
    For each task, write how often it happens in a month and how many minutes it takes, including the time spent switching between apps.
    
3. 3
    
    ### Put a cost on mistakes
    
    Count how often it goes wrong and what a miss costs: redo time, a refund, a late fee, a lead that went cold.
    
4. 4
    
    ### Score rules, data, and effort
    
    Rate each task 1 to 5 on how rule-based it is, how digital its inputs are, and how hard it would be to automate with the tools you have.
    
5. 5
    
    ### Sort by priority and read the verdict
    
    The sheet ranks tasks by annual cost adjusted for readiness and effort, and labels each one: automate first, plan the project, standardize first, or leave it manual.
    
6. 6
    
    ### Automate one task, then measure
    
    Start with the top 'Automate first' task. After a month, compare the time and errors to your estimate before moving to the next one.
    

More on why the order matters, and the traps that make automation projects stall, in [what should you automate first?](https://pinstripeservices.com/blog/what-should-you-automate-first) For a broader list of candidates, see [which business processes to automate](https://pinstripeservices.com/what-business-processes-should-you-automate).

Free download, no email required

Automation Audit Scorecard

Score your recurring tasks by cost, readiness, and effort to see what to automate first and what to standardize before automating.

[Download the spreadsheet (.xlsx)](https://pinstripeservices.com/downloads/automation-audit-scorecard.xlsx) [Download the PDF](https://pinstripeservices.com/downloads/automation-audit-scorecard.pdf)

## Frequently Asked Questions

### What is an automation audit?

A structured look at the recurring work in a business to decide which tasks are worth automating, in what order, and which need a clearer process first. It turns a vague sense that things take too long into a ranked list with dollar amounts.

### Which business processes should I automate first?

Tasks that happen often, follow the same steps every time, start from digital data, and can be automated with tools you already have. Invoicing after a job, appointment reminders, and receipt capture usually qualify. High-cost tasks that need a bigger build come next.

### Why does a messy process get 'Standardize first'?

Automation repeats whatever steps you give it. If the task is done differently each time or the inputs arrive in different formats, automating it produces errors faster. Write down the steps, run them consistently for a month, and score it again.

### How do I estimate the cost of an error?

Use what a miss actually costs: the time to redo the work, a refund or credit, a late fee, or the value of a lead that went cold. A rough number is fine. The goal is to rank tasks against each other, not to produce an exact figure.

### Do I need Zapier or custom software?

Often neither. Many 'Automate first' tasks are a setting in software you already pay for, such as automatic invoice reminders in QuickBooks or appointment texts in your scheduling app. Zapier or Make covers most of the rest; custom work is for the few tasks that justify it.

### How long does the audit take?

Collecting the task list takes a couple of weeks of noticing. Scoring takes about an hour for a small team. Rescore every six months, or whenever volume changes a lot.

## Want help with the top of your list?

Send us your scorecard. We build automations with the tools you already use, starting with the tasks that pay back fastest.

[Talk About Automation](https://pinstripeservices.com/contact?service=automation&intent=consultation&source=automation-audit-scorecard&utm_source=site&utm_medium=cta&utm_campaign=automation_audit&utm_content=footer) [Our Automation Service](https://pinstripeservices.com/services/automation)

## Related Reading

Blog

### [How a Proper Trello Setup Can Save a Small Business Thousands of Dollars](https://pinstripeservices.com/blog/trello-automation-small-business-systems)

Most small businesses lose money to disorganization, missed follow-ups, and repetitive admin work. A properly structured Trello setup with automation removes a surprising amount of that waste.

[Read more](https://pinstripeservices.com/blog/trello-automation-small-business-systems)

Blog

### [Why Most Small Businesses Get Automation Wrong (And Why It Ends Up Costing Them)](https://pinstripeservices.com/blog/why-small-businesses-get-automation-wrong)

Automation is not the problem. The way most small businesses implement it is. Without the right guidance, it can quietly cost time, money, and missed opportunities.

[Read more](https://pinstripeservices.com/blog/why-small-businesses-get-automation-wrong)

Blog

### [Your Business Doesn't Need More Software. It Needs the Software You Already Have to Work Together.](https://pinstripeservices.com/blog/your-business-doesnt-need-more-software)

Most small businesses pay for plenty of software. The real problem is that none of it talks to each other. Here is what to fix before buying another subscription.

[Read more](https://pinstripeservices.com/blog/your-business-doesnt-need-more-software)

Blog

### [How to Automate Your Bookkeeping So Tax Season Is Not a Mess Next Year](https://pinstripeservices.com/blog/how-to-automate-bookkeeping-tax-season)

If tax season felt stressful, the problem was not the deadline. It was the lack of systems during the year. Here is how automation fixes that.

[Read more](https://pinstripeservices.com/blog/how-to-automate-bookkeeping-tax-season)

Thought Leadership

### [How to Automate Your Q1 Business Reports and Save Hours Every Month](https://pinstripeservices.com/blog/automate-q1-business-reports-save-hours)

Tax season doesn't have to mean late nights with spreadsheets. Learn how to automate your quarterly reports and free up hours every month.

[Read more](https://pinstripeservices.com/blog/automate-q1-business-reports-save-hours)

Guide

### [Why Automate Your Business](https://pinstripeservices.com/why-automate-your-business)

Discover how automation saves time, reduces errors, and helps small businesses scale faster.

[Read more](https://pinstripeservices.com/why-automate-your-business)

---

Source: https://pinstripeservices.com/automation-audit-scorecard. Contact: https://pinstripeservices.com/contact