How do you actually rewire a workflow?

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You've heard me talk about why the workflow has to come before AI.

So let's say you've done that. You know which workflow needs the most help. Now what?

How do you actually rewire the workflow effectively?

We use a proven method called DMAIC.

Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control.

Here is the short version:

Define the actual business problem. Not the solution someone already decided on. "We need AI in our sales process" is not a problem, that is an answer looking for a question. A real problem sounds like: "Our quote-to-close rate dropped from 1 in 3 to 1 in 6 and we do not know why."

Measure how the work actually flows today. Step by step, with the variance between your best performer and everyone else on the table.

Analyze the root cause. One client tracked down why quotes were taking 48 hours and found one thing: reps were spending most of that time just trying to research the prospect before writing the follow-up. The problem was not the quote. It was account research.

Improve the workflow in a focused sprint with the team in the room. This matters more than most owners expect. The people doing the work have to design the new way of working. Skip that and you get a better-looking process that people quietly work around.

Control with a learning loop on the other side. A five-minute daily huddle. One question: What prevented us from having a perfect day today? That question, run consistently, is how the new workflow stays alive.

Then, and only then, do you look at where AI belongs.

And when you look, you are not asking "how do we use AI?" You are asking something much more specific: Where does the team repeatedly have to draft, summarize, compare, check, research, route, or prepare a first pass?

Those are the tasks. Those are where AI goes in.

This is what I call fractional integration. Not "AI in sales." More like: AI researches the prospect and drafts the first-touch email the moment a lead enters the CRM, so the rep spends their time on the conversation that actually closes the deal.

The principle that holds everywhere: if the workflow is messy, AI makes the mess faster. If the workflow is clear, AI makes the business stronger.

Six days from now, we're walking through fractional AI integration in a room of business leaders. You still have time to ensure you're there.

Cheers,

Matt

P.S. Registration closes soon for the AI Simplified Boot Camp. [REGISTER — $97 one-time fee for individuals/ $299 exec team]​

P.P.S. These are real (unprompted) emails we received from leaders who've been in the room:

If you're wondering if this is worth taking 2 hours out of your limited time:

"We found so much value in his approach that we had our entire staff attend"

Results from this business's first AI integration project post-workshop:

The mindset shift: