Lesson 5 of 19
Explore an AI opportunity
Describe today’s process before choosing how to improve it. Compare an AI contribution with a manual option using a fair measure.
This lesson concerns artificial intelligence (AI) governance: how your organisation assigns responsibility, checks AI use and records decisions and follow-up. AI Governance keeps these records; it does not operate the external AI tool for you.
At the end of this lesson
- Map inputs, steps and outputs.
- Identify a specific problem and proposed AI contribution.
- Compare a manual alternative using a proposed measure.
Before you begin
This lesson is for process owners and affected staff. You can read and complete the paper activity without an account.
For optional workplace practice, identify the task and have current permission to edit its activity. Have the existing process information available. Leave unknown measurements visible. If access is blocked, record your proposed response in your notes and ask the responsible administrator to check access.
Key ideas
The current process is how people do the work now: its steps, information, handovers and checks. A pain point is a specific problem in that process, such as repeated data entry or delays in checking a draft.
A manual alternative is a way to improve or complete the task without AI. Comparing it with the proposed AI approach helps the team decide whether AI is needed.
A success measure states how the team will judge an improvement, such as time saved while maintaining an agreed accuracy check. Expected benefits are estimates until evidence from the agreed checks supports them.
Follow these steps
1. Find the current process
Open Tools and activities, then Business process mapping. Reuse the existing activity for this task. Starting another record is unnecessary if the right one already exists.
Check the result: The intended activity is open, or you have identified it in your notes.
2. Describe today’s work
Record the process and scope. Identify the responsible people and the problem before proposing AI. Keep task boundaries specific enough to compare alternatives.
Check the result: A reader can explain the current work without knowing the proposed tool.
3. Map the sequence
Record each step, role, input and output. Use measured time only when it is known. The form supports explicit unknowns; do not invent measurements to complete it.
Check the result: The order and handovers are visible, with unknowns retained.
4. Bound the proposed contribution
Identify the part AI might support. Include human checking, corrections and escalation in the proposed workflow. Review triggers and authority belong in the checking arrangements.
Check the result: You can distinguish the tool’s proposed task from the human responsibilities.
5. Compare a manual option
Consider a clearer template or improved handover. Define a fair measure covering total effort and quality, including checking and correction time.
Check the result: You have alternatives and a proposed measure, not a claimed saving.
6. Save and reopen
Use Save draft while work is incomplete. Use the activity’s confirmation flow only after reviewing its required fields and explicit unknowns. Reopen the saved activity.
Check the result: The saved order, responsibilities and gaps match your intended record. A validation error means confirmation has not succeeded.
Practise
Paper activity — fictional information
'A worker receives a request, checks approved information, drafts a reply and asks a colleague to review it. The proposed tool drafts the reply. Checking and correction time have not been measured.' Write the four current steps, the proposed contribution and a fair comparison measure.
Write your response in your own notes before opening the answer. You do not need to sign in, change records or run an assessment.
Check your understanding
Can the organisation claim a time saving from faster drafting alone?
Check your answer
No. Compare total work, including checking and corrections, using actual observations from a permitted test. Reread step 5 if the answer omits review effort.
For the activity, map receipt of the request, checking approved information, drafting, and colleague review. AI is proposed only for drafting. Compare total time, including review and correction, alongside output quality. No saving has yet been measured.
Check your work
- A map identifies inputs, ordered work and outputs.
- The AI opportunity is bounded.
- The manual alternative and unmeasured benefit remain visible.
Continue learning
Optional worked examples
Sources
These National AI Centre resources inform the lesson. This course does not imply Australian Government endorsement.