The "value × difficulty" matrix
Not all candidates are equal. Place tasks on two axes: how much they bring (value) and how hard to implement (difficulty). Start with high value and low difficulty.
Four quadrants
- Valuable + easy → do first (quick wins).
- Valuable + hard → plan as a project.
- Cheap + easy → do on the side.
- Cheap + hard → leave it for now.
Rate the task "AI triage of incoming requests": value and difficulty
Value is high (saves managers hours daily), difficulty is medium (needs CRM integration and accuracy checks). A good second step after a pilot on draft replies.
Do the economics upfront
Estimate: how much time/money it costs now × how much AI removes − the cost of implementation and tokens. If it doesn't add up even roughly, it's not your first candidate.
Exercise
Place your 5 tasks from the last lesson on a 2×2 matrix. Pick one from the "valuable + easy" quadrant — that's your pilot.
Choose not the "coolest" task but the most profitable and simple one. Early wins build team trust.
🧠 Which quadrant to start with?