Job Automation Potential gives you a structured way to assess how much of a job can be automated – by technology type – and roll those estimates into a single, consistent job-level score. It’s designed for HR and workforce planning teams that need to evaluate automation opportunities across roles and communicate those findings clearly to stakeholders.

Key benefits

Spot automation opportunities faster

Quickly see which jobs and duties are the strongest candidates for automation investment, without manual number-crunching.

Compare technologies side by side

Evaluate GenAI, Industrial Automation (IA), and Business Process Automation (BPA) in one place so you can prioritize the right approach for each role.

Build scores you can defend

A weighted, duty-based calculation method produces transparent, repeatable scores that stand up to scrutiny in portfolio reviews and leadership conversations.

Keep reasoning visible

Capture explanations and notes directly alongside your scores so any reviewer can understand how and why a result was assigned.

Before you start

Make sure you have the following ready before you begin scoring a job:

  1. A job to assess – Open or create the job you want to evaluate. You’ll need edit access to its automation fields.
  2. A list of duties – Break the job down into its main activities. Each duty should have a clear, concise name.
  3. Timeshare estimates – For each duty, estimate what percentage of the job’s total working time it represents. All values should add up to 100%.
  4. Automation scores per technology – For each duty, prepare an estimate for how automatable it is using:
    • GenAI – Generative AI
    • IA – Industrial Automation (e.g. RPA, workflow orchestration, rule-based systems)
    • BPA – Business Process Automation (e.g. process orchestration, system-to-system automation)
  5. A consistent scoring scale – Decide on a scale (e.g. 0–100) and apply it across all duties and technologies before you start.
  6. A calculation mode – Choose one of the three available modes (described in detail below):
    • Manual – Enter all job-level values directly. Duties are not used in the calculation.
    • Calculate Average for Job – Enter three technology scores; the system derives the total. Duties are not used.
    • Calculate by Duties – Job scores are calculated from duty-level values, weighted by timeshare.

How to use it

  1. Define the Job

    Open or create the job you want to evaluate. Enter the job name and any relevant metadata. Locate the four automation fields at the job level: Job Total Automation, Job GenAI, Job IA, and Job BPA.

  2. Add Duties

    Add one or more duties that represent the job’s main activities. For each duty:

    • Give it a clear, descriptive name.
    • Assign a timeshare value (the percentage of working time this duty takes up).
    • Make sure all timeshare values across duties add up to 100%.
  3. Score each duty

    For each duty, enter an automation potential score for each of the three technology types, using your agreed scoring scale:

    • GenAI potential — How much of this duty could be automated using Generative AI?
    • IA potential — How much of this duty could be automated using Industrial Automation?
    • BPA potential — How much of this duty could be automated using Business Process Automation?

    Use the explanation field on each duty to document your reasoning — what tools would be involved, any constraints or risks, and why you assigned that score.

  4. Choose a Calculation Mode

    Mode 1: Manual

    You enter all job-level scores (Job GenAI, Job IA, Job BPA, and Job Total Automation) directly. Duty-level data is ignored. Use this when you already have a pre-determined score and just need to record it.

    Mode 2: Calculate Average for Job

    Enter the three technology scores for the job (Job GenAI, Job IA, Job BPA). The system automatically calculates the total:

    Job Total Automation = Job GenAI + Job IA + Job BPA

    Duty-level data is not used. Best for quick top-down estimates.

    Mode 3: Calculate by Duties

    Job-level scores are calculated automatically from your duty-level scores, weighted by each duty’s timeshare. This is the most rigorous method and produces the most defensible results.

    Job GenAI = Σ (GenAI potential × Timeshare) for each duty
    Job IA = Σ (IA potential × Timeshare) for each duty
    Job BPA = Σ (BPA potential × Timeshare) for each duty
    Job Total Automation = Job GenAI + Job IA + Job BPA

    Worked Example

Duty Timeshare GenAI IA BPA
Duty 1 60% 20% 10% 0%
Duty 2 40% 0% 30% 20%
Job Result 12% 18% 8%
Job Total Automation 38%
5. Add a Job Summary

At the job level, use the summary field to describe the overall automation opportunity: the expected target state, key dependencies, and how automation connects to business outcomes such as cost, speed, error reduction, or customer experience.

Tips and best practices

  • Keep timeshare values summing to 100%. This makes results much easier to interpret and compare across jobs. If you can’t allocate 100%, note it in the explanation field rather than leaving it silent.
  • Use one consistent scoring scale across all jobs. Mixing scales (e.g. some jobs scored 0–10, others 0–100) will make it impossible to compare results meaningfully. Agree on the scale before you start and stick to it.
  • Keep explanation fields up to date. Reviewers and stakeholders need to understand the reasoning behind a score — especially when it’s low or high. Good explanations also make it much easier to revisit and refine scores over time.
  • Revisit scores as technologies evolve. Automation potential can shift quickly, especially for GenAI. Build periodic reviews into your workflow so scores stay relevant.