Automation Fit and Trust Cost Placement
Tasks placed into four bands: Automate, Augment, Defer, Reserve
- PhaseSelect
- Group3 to 12 people
- Time40 minutes
- SettingRoom or remote
- ExecutivesYes
What it is
Automation Fit and Trust Cost Placement is a Groundwork method that sorts tasks into four bands. One axis is automation fit, how amenable a task is to automation. The other is trust cost, how bad it is if the task goes wrong. The bands are Automate (high fit, low trust cost), Augment (high fit, high trust cost: AI drafts and a person decides), Defer (low fit, low trust cost: revisit later) and Reserve (low fit, high trust cost: keep with people).
When to use it
After a task list from a Current-State Workflow Map or Day-in-the-Life Walkthrough, to see where AI could help and where people should stay in charge.
When to skip it
When there is no task-level detail. Go back to Understand.
How to run it
- 10 minList the tasks, in the people’s own words.
- 15 minPlace each task. Judge fit first (data, rules, volume), then trust cost (what it costs if the AI solution is wrong).
- 10 minChallenge the Automate band: who is harmed if it is wrong?
- 5 minName each band and record the Reserve list.
About 40 minutes of method time. Add ten to fifteen minutes to open and close the session.
What to watch for
Sorting by hours saved. Hours do not decide the band. Scoring to please: a real organisation always has tasks that belong in Reserve.
The AI lens
When torn between two positions, take the lower fit and the higher trust cost. Trust cost, not hours, separates Defer from Reserve.
What you leave with
Tasks in four bands, and a “keep with people” list.
An example
A team places forty tasks from a Day-in-the-Life. Routine data entry lands in Automate, drafting customer letters lands in Augment, and decisions on hardship cases land in Reserve, with a note saying so out loud.
How it compares
Value and Feasibility Placement asks what is worth doing. Automation Fit and Trust Cost Placement asks what is safe to hand over.
Related methods
Questions
What is Automation Fit and Trust Cost Placement?
Automation Fit and Trust Cost Placement is a Groundwork method that sorts tasks into four bands. One axis is automation fit, how amenable a task is to automation. The other is trust cost, how bad it is if the task goes wrong. The bands are Automate (high fit, low trust cost), Augment (high fit, high trust cost: AI drafts and a person decides), Defer (low fit, low trust cost: revisit later) and Reserve (low fit, high trust cost: keep with people).
When should I use Automation Fit and Trust Cost Placement?
After a task list from a Current-State Workflow Map or Day-in-the-Life Walkthrough, to see where AI could help and where people should stay in charge.
How long does Automation Fit and Trust Cost Placement take and how many people do I need?
Automation Fit and Trust Cost Placement takes about 40 minutes and suits 3 to 12 people, plus a facilitator. Add ten to fifteen minutes to open and close the session.
How is Automation Fit and Trust Cost Placement different from other methods?
Value and Feasibility Placement asks what is worth doing. Automation Fit and Trust Cost Placement asks what is safe to hand over.
Can I run Automation Fit and Trust Cost Placement remotely or with executives?
Yes. Automation Fit and Trust Cost Placement works in the room or remotely. Remotely, put the canvas on a shared board in advance and write silently in the board, not in chat. Executives: Yes, works with executives present.