CT
Chris Talintyre
The Discovery Diagnostic: Map Your Workflows Before You Buy AI
The problem this solves
AI tools bought and piloted but never reaching production in small businesses
Chris Talintyre runs a half-day workshop for founders of small businesses that maps how the business actually works before any AI spend is committed. The session produces 23 decisions about the business's workflows, matched against where the real automation, build, buy, or hire opportunities sit — so investment follows a described workflow rather than a vendor demo.
Technique
Score each workflow on specificity and market maturity to pick the lever
“high specificity plus low market maturity is usually 'build' or 'hire'. However, high maturity plus lower specificity is 'buy' or 'automate'. When both are low, you wait.”
— You don't need an AI strategy.
Judgement
Treat a single workflow, not a department, as the unit of AI economics
“the unit of AI economics for AI investment isn't your department, it's a single workflow. If you can't describe that workflow in plain English, you're clearly not ready to invest in it.”
— You don't need an AI strategy.
AI strategyAI adoptionWorkflow mappingSMBProcess documentation
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