Automate this workflow, or redesign it before we automate?
While 53.7% of organizations automate existing workflows for quick wins, 57.6% of successful AI companies prioritize redesigning work, finding that bolting tools onto old workflows is the leading cause of AI pilot failures.
The question
We have a costly manual workflow and pressure to apply AI to it. Do we automate the process as it exists today to show a quick return, or redesign the process first and automate the redesigned version — accepting a longer path to value?
Counsel's position
Redesign the workflow first, then automate it, to achieve significant, sustainable AI-driven value and efficiency.
Verdict
The verdict: Redesign the workflow first, then automate it, to achieve significant, sustainable AI-driven value and efficiency.
How the criteria decide
3 of 4 criteria resolved on cited evidence. 1 had none either way.
| Criterion | Favours | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| time to value | No evidence either way | |
| cost of automation | Redesign then automate | Reimagining workflows drives real ROI while basic automation only saves time Nothing happens, because bolting a chatbot onto a workflow that was designed for humans doesn’t transform the workflow. It just makes the same slightly-annoying process marginally faster. AI workflow redesign is the primary source of enterprise ROI Most AI pilots fail because companies bolt tools onto old workflows. Here's why AI workflow redesign is the real source of enterprise value and ROI. |
| process efficiency | Redesign then automate | Reimagining workflows drives real ROI while basic automation only saves time Nothing happens, because bolting a chatbot onto a workflow that was designed for humans doesn’t transform the workflow. It just makes the same slightly-annoying process marginally faster. AI value requires redesigning end-to-end processes rather than isolated tasks The truth is that before you introduce more AI tools and agents, you need to redesign and improve the workflow. Workflow redesign is the strongest factor for measurable AI business impact Research consistently shows that workflow redesign is one of the strongest factors associated with measurable business impact from generative AI. |
| implementation complexity | Redesign then automate | Reimagining workflows drives real ROI while basic automation only saves time Nothing happens, because bolting a chatbot onto a workflow that was designed for humans doesn’t transform the workflow. It just makes the same slightly-annoying process marginally faster. AI value requires redesigning end-to-end processes rather than isolated tasks The truth is that before you introduce more AI tools and agents, you need to redesign and improve the workflow. |
57.6% of successful AI companies prioritize workflow redesign over automation
Given your pressure to show a return, redesigning the process rather than just automating it breaks through the ROI ceiling.
Reimagining workflows drives real ROI while basic automation only saves time
Given your choice between quick automation and redesign, bolting AI onto a legacy process fails to transform the underlying workflow.
AI value requires redesigning end-to-end processes rather than isolated tasks
Given your pressure to apply AI, deploying tools without updating the underlying workflow leaves critical intelligence undocumented and scattered.
Workflow redesign is the strongest factor for measurable AI business impact
Given your goal of a quick return, local time savings from basic automation are often absorbed by existing process bottlenecks.
AI workflow redesign is the primary source of enterprise ROI
Given your pressure to apply AI, bolting tools onto old workflows is the leading cause of AI pilot failures.
Read another verdict
- Which process should we point AI at first?
- Put one person in charge of AI — or is a Head of AI premature for us?
- Buy a tool for this process, or build around our own knowledge?
- Centralize AI strategy under CEO or distribute ownership?
- Adopt new AI ROI tools or refine existing methods?
- Invest in pre-build costing or post-deployment ROI tracking?
- Our documents are a mess. Clean them up before AI, or after?
- How do we measure the return on an AI workflow — and what baseline is honest?