What it does
Captures automation ideas from staff who feel the pain daily, scores them by time saved and implementation effort, and generates a prioritised automation roadmap.
Why I recommend it
Staff know where time is wasted better than owners. Crowdsourcing automation ideas surfaces high-ROI opportunities you’d never discover from the top down.
Expected benefits
- Ongoing compounding time savings (1-2 hours/month grows exponentially)
- Better team buy-in from their ideas implemented
- Higher quality suggestions from pain proximity
- Never run out of automation opportunities
How it works
Staff submit pain points via simple form → automation scores by time saved × frequency → monthly review session ranks by ROI and feasibility → top ideas added to implementation roadmap → track completion and actual time saved.
Quick start
Create Google Form asking: What task wastes your time? How often? How long does it take? Review monthly and implement one idea. Track actual time savings.
Level-up version
Auto-calculate ROI score. Show staff the roadmap and implemented suggestions. Track actual vs. estimated savings. Reward staff whose ideas ship. Build automation literacy through participation.
Tools you can use
Forms: Google Forms, Typeform, Tally
Tracking: Airtable, Notion, spreadsheets
Scoring: Simple ROI formulas
Communication: Slack, email updates
Automation: Zapier, Make, n8n
Technical implementation solution
- No-code: Form submissions → Airtable → manual scoring → monthly review → roadmap spreadsheet.
- API-based: Form webhook → auto-scoring algorithm → ranked backlog in project management tool → voting system → automated monthly digest → track implemented ideas and savings.
Where it gets tricky
- Getting honest submissions without complaint filter
- Accurately estimating time savings and effort
