Workflow Decomposition
One process is really a dozen decisions.
AI strategy is mostly work design. Here is what that looks like on a real process from the business we run: a new commercial insurance submission.
Most people look at a new submission and see one job: “quote this account.” To redesign it, you have to see every step inside it, and then ask the same question of each one: should this belong to a person, to ordinary software, to AI, or to AI with a person reviewing?
- Receive the submissionEmail, portal, and referral submissions land in one queue with a tracking record. No judgment needed, so no AI needed.Software
- Extract the dataApplications, ACORD forms, supplemental applications, and loss runs become structured fields, each with a confidence score.AI
- Determine what’s missingExtracted fields are checked against what the target markets require. Low-confidence fields go to a person.AI
- Classify the riskClass codes and an exposure summary are proposed; an account manager confirms them, because a wrong class code follows the account for years.AI + review
- Determine eligible marketsAppetite guides and your appointments narrow the list of markets. A producer approves it.AI + review
- Request missing documentsThe request to the insured is drafted automatically and sent once a person approves it.AI + review
- Enter the dataValidated fields are written to the AMS and raters through integrations instead of being re-keyed.Software
- Submit to carriersSent where markets accept uploads or integrations. Portal-only markets may stay manual, and the Audit will say so.Software
- Monitor responsesQuotes, declinations, and subjectivities are tracked per market, with follow-ups scheduled automatically.Software
- Compare quotesPremium, limits, deductibles, exclusions, and subjectivities side by side, with every difference cited back to the quote document.AI
- Draft a recommendationA first-draft recommendation and proposal. The producer edits it and owns it.AI + review
- Licensed reviewCoverage, gaps, and E&O exposure are reviewed before anything reaches the client.Person
- Advise the clientThe producer presents and advises. The system logs what was sent and when.Person
Four software, three AI, four AI with review, two people.
That split is illustrative. Every agency’s answer is different, because it depends on volume, markets, systems, and how much a mistake costs at each step. Notice what is not on the list: the steps that need a license stay with licensed people. The goal is to give them their time back, not to replace their judgment.
The Questions
What we ask of every step.
- How often does it happen, and how long does it take? Volume times minutes is where the economics start.
- How often is it done wrong, and what does a mistake cost? A misrouted ID card request and a missed exclusion are not the same risk.
- Is the data there? AI cannot extract what was never captured, or act on a system it cannot reach.
- Should this step exist at all? The first question. A step that is pure waste should be removed, not automated.
- Is it judgment or rules? If ordinary software can do it reliably, it should. AI is for the steps rules cannot handle.
- Who is accountable when it is wrong? That answer decides where the human review goes.
The same method applies in any business: inbound requests, client onboarding, invoices and document intake, renewals and follow-ups, and internal questions. See the full method, or estimate what a redesigned workflow is worth.