Getting Started with AI Automation: A 90-Day Plan

The hardest part of AI automation is not the technology — it is getting started without boiling the ocean. Here is a focused 90-day plan that takes you from idea to a live automation delivering measurable results.

Days 1–30: Audit and prioritise

Spend the first month understanding where your team loses time. List the repetitive tasks, and for each, estimate the hours it consumes, how error-prone it is, and how well-defined it is. Score them on value and feasibility, and pick one high-value, low-risk candidate to automate first. Resist the urge to pick something ambitious; pick something that will succeed.

Days 31–60: Build and test

Design and build the automation for your chosen workflow, connected to the tools you already use. Test it against real data alongside your team, tuning until it is reliable. Build in the essentials from the start: validation, error handling, human checkpoints for judgement, and logging.

Days 61–90: Launch and measure

Roll the automation out with monitoring in place. Measure what matters — hours saved, errors reduced, turnaround time — against the baseline you captured in month one. Review real cases, close any gaps, and let the results speak.

Day 91 onward: Expand

With one proven success and hard numbers in hand, you have both the confidence and the mandate to automate the next area. Momentum in automation comes from visible wins, not from a two-year roadmap. Start focused, prove value, then compound it.