Bottom line: The best RPA candidates are repetitive, rule-based, high-volume, digitally structured, and stable. Score yours with the checklist below.

The 7 Criteria

  1. Repetitive: done daily or weekly with the same steps.
  2. Rule-based: decisions can be written as if/else.
  3. High volume: many transactions or many hours per month.
  4. Digital, structured input: Excel, CSV, forms, formatted email.
  5. Stable: applications and procedures rarely change.
  6. Error-prone manually: typos have financial or compliance impact.
  7. Spans several applications: copy-pasting between systems.

Scoring Checklist (0-2 each)

Criterion 0 1 2
Repetitive Rare Weekly Daily
Rule-based Subjective Partly Fully
Volume <10/month 10-100 >100
Structured input Handwritten Semi Fully digital
Stability Changes often Sometimes Stable
Error risk Low Medium High
Systems involved 1 2 3+

Interpretation: 11-14 = top priority · 7-10 = candidate · <7 = postpone or fix the process first.

High-Scoring Examples

  • Bank and general-ledger reconciliation.
  • Vendor invoice entry into an ERP.
  • Attendance summaries into payroll.
  • Marketplace stock sync.
  • Daily reports built from 3 dashboards.

Fix the Process First When...

If the process is convoluted, automation only speeds up the mess. Simplify steps, remove unnecessary approvals, standardize input formats, then automate.

How to Run Process Discovery

  1. Interview the process owner.
  2. Record one full cycle (screen recording).
  3. Map steps, exceptions, and systems involved.
  4. Calculate time x frequency x hourly cost, then continue to ROI calculation.

FAQ

How many processes should be automated first?

One. A successful pilot builds internal trust.

Can processes with many exceptions be automated?

Yes, with an escalation path to humans, but the ROI score usually drops.

Next steps

Send us your process list, and we will score and prioritize it for free.