// Stratum Praxis · Illustrative sample

Sample AI Workflow Opportunity Audit

This is a shortened, fictional example showing the structure and decision quality of a fixed-scope audit. It is not a client result, testimonial, or performance claim.

Example company: a small bookkeeping team handling recurring monthly client-document collection and close preparation. All names, volumes and financial assumptions below are illustrative.

1. Executive decision

Recommended pilot decision

Missing-document follow-up

30 days

Reversible pilot window

The best first automation is not a general chatbot. It is the narrow loop around identifying missing client documents, drafting reminders, scheduling follow-ups and synchronizing status for human review.

2. Current workflow map

Team member reviews the client checklist before close.
Missing statements, receipts or answers are identified manually.
A reminder is drafted and sent to the client.
The team checks for a response and repeats the follow-up when needed.
Status is copied into the internal close tracker.
Exceptions and sensitive items are escalated to a human owner.

Primary leak: repetitive detection, drafting and status-sync consume attention even though most cases follow a predictable pattern. The exception path still requires human judgment.

3. Ranked opportunities

Opportunity	Impact	Effort	Risk	Decision
Missing-document follow-up loop Detect → draft → schedule → status sync	High	Low–medium	Low–medium	Pilot first
Close-status summary drafting	Medium	Low	Low	Second
Client Q&A auto-response	Medium	Medium	High	Hold
Automatic accounting decisions	Potentially high	High	High	Do not automate first

4. ROI scenario

Planning assumptions only. Replace these with the buyer's real baseline before making an investment decision.

Monthly workload80 client files × 3 follow-up touches × 6 minutes = 24 hours/month.

Loaded labor assumption$42/hour → approximately $1,008/month of current handling capacity.

Pilot targetReduce repetitive handling time by 50% while keeping exceptions human-reviewed → 12 hours/month recovered.

Gross capacity value12 hours × $42 = $504/month before tool and setup costs.

Illustrative tool/integration cost: $80/month. Illustrative setup effort: 6 hours × $42 = $252. Under these assumptions, first-year net capacity value would be approximately $4,836 before tax and before any additional implementation/support costs.

Capacity value is not guaranteed cash savings or revenue. It only becomes economically useful if the recovered time is actually redeployed, avoided, or converted into higher-value work.

5. Risk + human checkpoints

Do not send reminders when the client has already supplied the document through an untracked channel.
Do not expose one client's information to another client or an unauthorized system.
Keep tax, accounting, legal and judgment-heavy responses human-led.
Log every automated action so the team can audit failures and stop the workflow quickly.
Start with redacted or synthetic test data before any production rollout.

6. 30-day pilot plan

Days 1–5 · BaselineMeasure volume, handling time, exception types and current response latency.

Days 6–12 · Shadow modeGenerate suggested actions without sending them. Compare with human decisions.

Days 13–21 · Limited live pilotAutomate only low-risk reminders for a bounded client subset with approval checkpoints.

Days 22–30 · DecisionCompare time saved, error rate, client response and operating cost. Scale, redesign or stop.

7. Pilot success thresholds

At least 40% reduction in repetitive handling time.
No material privacy or client-data incidents.
No increase in incorrect or duplicate reminders.
Human exception handling remains clear and fast.
Projected annual capacity value remains comfortably above operating cost.

Want this analysis for your own workflow?

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Fixed scope. Written delivery target: within 3 business days after complete intake. Tool suitability, privacy/security controls and production performance must be independently validated before implementation.