Choose one job that regularly takes time
Watch the task as staff do it today. Note the repeated steps, the decisions people make and the corrections they have to do afterwards. A process that looks simple on a diagram may include important judgement that staff rarely need to explain.
For an illustrative first project, a general enquiry could create a task for the right reception team. Before building anything, agree how that team is chosen. If staff disagree about the rule, software cannot settle the question for you.
Keep the first trial manageable
Choose a limited team or type of request and agree what the automation will do. Explain which decisions remain with a person. Start testing with made-up information under the practice's approved arrangements.
If AI is involved, ask what it may suggest and what it may actually send or change. A suggested reply and an automatically sent reply are different commitments. Give staff a straightforward way to reject, correct or stop the output.
Work through the awkward cases
Ask what happens if information is missing, a connection fails or the same enquiry arrives twice. Who receives uncertain requests? How will someone notice unfinished work? Show the team the manual alternative before relying on the new process.
For the enquiry example, test a request with no clear destination. It should reach an agreed person for review. Sending it confidently to the wrong team would simply move the problem. Include the return to normal working after a fault.
Count checking and correction time too
Compare the time spent on the whole task before and during the trial. Include reviewing outputs, fixing mistakes and following up on failures. A quick automatic action can still create more work elsewhere.
Ask staff whether responsibilities are clearer and inspect a sample of completed tasks. Expand when the practice is satisfied with the results and knows who supports the process. Keep the instructions current so the person who built it is not the only person who understands it.
Turn reading into a next step
Your action checklist
Work through these checks with your team or supplier. Tick the ones you have resolved and leave unknowns open.
Task; allowed actions; human review; awkward cases; total effort before and during the trial.
Use project decisions only, without personal, patient or confidential details. Entries stay in this page and are not submitted to Kay & Co. Copy or download before leaving; this page does not save your notes.
Further reading
These sources provide background for the topic. The practice examples and checklist are illustrative planning suggestions from Kay & Co.
Related guides
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