The final output
The spreadsheet, email, dashboard screenshot, PDF, or deck people actually use in the morning.
Workflow Review Prep
Bring the workflow, not a polished deck.
A good review call traces what happens from the first source report to the morning decision. The messier the real workflow, the more useful the map.
What to bring
Do not overprepare. Bring the morning as it is.
The point is not to impress anyone with a deck. The point is to see the current process clearly enough to scope one narrow pilot that the team would actually use.
The source reports
PMS exports, pickup files, forecasts, rate shops, channel reports, and recurring inbox or folder sources.
The manual steps
Copy and paste, formulas, edits, formatting, checks, comments, screenshots, and exception notes.
The timing rules
When files arrive, when the brief is needed, and what happens when something is missing or late.
The owner chain
Who assembles it, who reviews it, who acts on it, and who gets blamed when it is wrong.
The first win
The smallest reliable output that would make the team say, "we should not go back."
The review flow
The first 20 minutes should feel like opening the curtains.
Trace the morning.
We walk from source arrival through assembly, review, delivery, and the decision the brief is supposed to support.
Name the reliability risks.
Late files, wrong dates, duplicate attachments, manual edits, stale formulas, and unsupported AI notes get surfaced before build talk.
Pick one pilot.
The right starting point is narrow enough to ship and important enough that the team feels relief the next morning.
Define proof.
We leave with the source layer, run log, output shape, caveat rules, handoff needs, timeline, and scope boundary.
Useful before the call
Send the rough workflow if you already know it.
A rough note gives the review a head start. It also makes the first pilot easier to size because the actual edges are already visible.
Company: Properties involved: Final output: Source reports: Manual steps: Who assembles it: Who uses it: When it needs to land: What breaks most often: What would make the first pilot a win:
After the map
The follow-up should be specific enough to build from.
After the workflow is clear, the next artifact should be concrete: source layer, run log, output shape, pilot timeline, scope boundaries, and investment.
Source mapReports, owners, arrival windows, required status, and business-date rules.Input
Run behaviorMissing-file rules, caveats, archive path, rerun path, and approval steps.Trust
Output shapeThe brief, table, deck, or email the team should receive every morning.View
Pilot scopeIncluded work, out-of-scope edges, timeline, handoff, and flat-price investment.Build
Ready
A good pilot starts with a clear map.
Once the map is visible, the build can stay focused: source intake, checks, assembly, output, run log, and handoff.