Short answer: before a process goes to AI, write down what good looks like, who checks it, who fixes it, the first step that cannot be undone, and who owns a client's questions about it. If you cannot put a name next to the checker, the process is not ready to start.
This is for owners of 5 to 50 person service firms. It takes about ten minutes per process. Do it with the person who does the job today, not for them.
What does good look like?
Write it in three lines. If the standard lives in one person's head, an agent inherits the guesswork, and so does the next hire.
Who reads it before it leaves?
One name, not "the team". "The team will check it" means nobody does. In a small firm the person who checks is often the busiest, so decide it before the agent starts.
Who fixes it when it is wrong?
A second name. Fixing a mistake is a different job from spotting one, and it needs someone with the time and authority to do it.
What is the first step that cannot be undone?
In a service firm it is usually sending to a client, paying a supplier or deleting a record. Everything before that step is draft work an agent can do alone. That step, and everything after it, gets a named reader.
Ask the person who does the job where that step really is. Owners and staff often disagree. A quote can look like a draft to the owner while the client has already read it.
Who answers when a client forwards an AI answer?
Name one person per client account. Their reply can be one line: yes because, or no because. Then tell the client who that person is, so they hear one view every time.
If you cannot fill in the name next to a process, it is not ready to hand over.
Fill it in
One row per process. The first row is an example.
| Process | May do alone (draft work) | First step that cannot be undone | Named reader | Named fixer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weekly client update | Draft from the project notes | Sending it to the client | Account manager | Account manager |
Earn a lighter check from a record
Do not set the trust level from a vendor's demo. Have the named reader read the first twenty or so outputs and keep a tally of how many needed a change. If none did, the task can move to a lighter check. If one did, it goes back, and the fix goes into the agent's instructions.
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