Choose one repeatable workflow, map the data and rules, set approval gates and measure the result before expanding.
Prioritize repetitive, high-volume work with clear rules and measurable value. The ratings below are an illustrative starting point. Adjust them for your team.
High volume and clear rules. Needs current vendor contacts.
RFQ follow-ups value
RFQ follow-ups readiness
RFQ follow-ups complexity
7/9
Defined process with measurable impact. Needs contract and price history data.
Price-increase review value
Price-increase review readiness
Price-increase review complexity
7/9
Best first fit
Builds a clean data foundation other workflows reuse.
Spend consolidation value
Spend consolidation readiness
Spend consolidation complexity
8/9
Spend consolidation scores highest on your ratings. It creates a clean spend view that quoting and governance workflows can build on.
Fit adds value and readiness, and scores lower complexity higher. Nine is the maximum.
Select a step to see what it involves and what it produces.
Weekly triage feeds back into the process
Step 3 of 7
Turn the existing SOP into steps, decision rules and exceptions.
What you have at the end
A written process the agent can follow.
List the information, where it lives and who owns it. Start with limited data in a sandbox.
Sponsor
[Executive name]
Use-case owner
[Owner name]
Data contacts
[Names]
Data map · example layout
Sandbox · limited data
| Information | Where it lives | Owner |
|---|---|---|
| Spend exports | [ERP / source system] | [Data contact] |
| Supplier master | [System] | [Data contact] |
| Category mapping | [System / file] | [Category lead] |
| Contracts & terms | [Repository] | [Contract owner] |
Existing SOP
Define what the agent may do on its own, where a person must approve, who handles each escalation, and which internal reviews the workflow needs before launch.
The 30-day checkpoint is a decision point, not a promised deployment date.
Day 0
Workflow, data, owners and success measures signed off.
Week 1
Review failures and exceptions. Refine rules.
Week 2
Review failures and exceptions. Refine rules.
Week 3
Review failures and exceptions. Refine rules.
Week 4
Review failures and exceptions. Refine rules.
Day 30
Decide: refine, continue or expand.
At the checkpoint, the evidence points to one of three moves:
Refine: adjust the rules, data or scope based on what triage surfaced, then run another cycle.
Switch on each building block your first workflow already has.
0/ 6 in place
Not yet. Start with the building blocks below before choosing an agent.
Still needed: Workflow · Data · Owner · Rules · Approval gates · Baseline
Time returned from the workflow.
From trigger to completed task.
Steps and approvals followed as defined.
Tracked separately, never blended.
For consolidation: the share of spend that is cleaned and categorized.
Reuse approved skills at other sites or in other workflows only after the first workflow has demonstrated value.
Exporting and organizing spend data creates a clean foundation other workflows build on. Quoting, by comparison, may need clean categories, vendor contacts and more process preparation first.
01
Pull spend from the systems where it lives.
02
Standardize supplier names and categories.
03
Flag duplicates and consolidation opportunities.
04
A person validates and approves changes.
Step 1 · Recommended
Place your first agent on the path from AI experimentation to agentic workflows.
View the AI Procurement Maturity Model →Step 2 · Optional
In a short working session, we look at which candidate workflow already has an owner, accessible data and clear rules, and scope it.
Request a working session