Your workflow mapWorkflow opportunity map
A reporting assistant for your team
Prepare weekly stock and sales reports
Open a report that is already prepared, with its figures ready to check.
One team or department · Prepared 9 September 2026
Based on planning assumptions. Full inputs are in the sources below.
Your proposed automation
How the work would flow.
Collecting figures, checking them and putting the report together.
Based on the task you selected.A sourced first draft, so the team can focus on interpretation and approval.
The workflow below shows what the first version would do.- Your input
Stock and sales spreadsheets
The reporting cut-off arrives
- The automation
Collect and prepare
Trace figures to Stock and sales spreadsheets, flag gaps and prepare the template in Weekly management report.
- A person stays in control
Review and interpret
A person handles decisions, exceptions and commitments.
- Intended outcome
A reviewed report
Destination: Weekly management report.
Based on your task, tools and answers. The proposal includes any capture step or new destination marked above. Confirm access and the human checks before a pilot.
The value to test
What getting this time back could mean.
The work is recurring. Even a small improvement can add up across the whole batch.
4 weeks · 3 Aug 2026 – 30 Aug 2026. Bars show the upper ends; the labels show the full ranges.
12,000–16,800 NOK of staff time currently allocated, at your 600 NOK/hour cost. This is time spent, not savings.
Available for other work in the same period.
7,200–13,200 NOKEquivalent staff-time value
12 to 22 staff hours could be freed in this period. This uses your supplied target, including review and upkeep; it is not a forecast. Staff-time value is capacity, not a cash or payroll saving. Setup and running costs are still to be deducted.
If the work stays the same. Repeating the same volume and process would require about 20–28 staff hours again. This applies to another comparable period, not an annual forecast.
Your first version
Here is what I would build around this task.
- 1
Collect the agreed figures
Collect the agreed fields from Stock and sales spreadsheets, using the same reporting period and definitions.
- 2
Check and flag gaps
Flag missing figures, duplicate records and unexpected changes; keep a link to each source. Do not fill gaps with invented values.
- 3
Prepare the report draft
Populate the approved template in Weekly management report and send the draft to its reviewer.
A person checks exceptions, explains unusual changes and approves the report before it is distributed. The system prepares the evidence; it does not decide what the figures mean.
Test whether this same work can be completed in 6–8 total staff hours, including review, corrections and upkeep.
What makes this work in your business.
The build idea is above. Use this matrix to see what to agree first and what to keep for later.
Test one small version of this workflow.
Choose one recurring report. Agree its audience, template, source for each figure and reporting period. Remove anything the recipient does not use before automating its preparation. Keep a person responsible for exceptions and decisions during any trial.
Suggested priorities for this task. Build effort and financial impact have not been estimated.
Start here: Test one small change
Choose one recurring report. Agree its audience, template, source for each figure and reporting period. Remove anything the recipient does not use before automating its preparation. Keep a person responsible for exceptions and decisions during any trial.
Scope next: Collect and prepare
Check that Stock and sales spreadsheets and Weekly management report support the necessary access, export or connection. Compatibility and build effort have not been verified. Keep the trial within this team; confirm the system owner's access and review requirements before connecting anything.
Keep for later: Review the pilot
Use a comparable batch to check staff time and the outcome you selected. Include corrections and upkeep. Expand only if the result is useful.
Do not prioritise: Automating final decisions
A person checks exceptions, explains unusual changes and approves the report before it is distributed. The system prepares the evidence; it does not decide what the figures mean.
Scope this with Ivar André Knutsen. Bring one input, its finished output and this map to a free 30-minute call: ivarknutsen.com/growth-call
The build and pilot planThe steps, human checks and a way to measure the difference.
Before building
Check that Stock and sales spreadsheets and Weekly management report support the necessary access, export or connection. Compatibility and build effort have not been verified. Keep the trial within this team; confirm the system owner's access and review requirements before connecting anything.
Your first pilot
Recreate one previously approved report from the same source data. Compare every figure, then trial the next reporting cycle and record preparation plus review time.
Stop or adjust if
Figures cannot be traced, reporting periods differ, exceptions disappear or review takes longer than the original work.
Bring to a working session
- Bring one input from Stock and sales spreadsheets and the corresponding finished output in Weekly management report.
- Identify who owns the process, who can approve access and which exceptions must stay with a person.
- Confirm the baseline, the smallest useful change, setup effort and recurring costs before agreeing a build.
Check the result
Count reports, active preparation and review time, missing figures and corrections. Compare the same report scope and data cut-off before and after the change. Compare combined active staff time for the same task and a comparable volume, including checks and corrections.
If nothing changes
If the same volume and handling time repeat, this task would take another 20–28 staff hours in each comparable period. The same manual steps will still need someone's attention each time the task repeats. A successful trial could reduce that burden; savings still need to be measured.
Your optional time target
Current 20–28 hours − remaining 6–8 hours = 12 to 22 hours freed. For ranges: current low minus remaining high, through current high minus remaining low. Negative values mean extra work.
Staff-time value: 7,200 to 13,200 NOK in this period (12 to 22 hours × your 600 NOK/hour staff cost). This is capacity value, not a payroll or cash saving; software and setup costs are not deducted.
What-if scenario using your assumed remaining time for the same task, people, volume and period. Remaining time includes reviews, exceptions, corrections and ongoing upkeep. The bounds combine your inputs; they are not a statistical confidence interval. A comparable pilot must test the assumption. One-off setup time and software costs must also be weighed before investing.
Your answers and their sourcesThe inputs and calculation behind your map.
Planning assumptions: 48 recurring reports over four weeks, 25–35 staff minutes per report, a 6–8 hour target for the same work, and a staff cost of 600 NOK/hour. Validate these inputs and the proposed workflow against real records before making an investment decision.
Supplied staff cost: 600 NOK per hour. Planning assumption; not independently verified.
- Kind of work
- Day-to-day operations
- Scope
- One team or department
- Situation
- Preparing recurring reports
- Your task
- Prepare weekly stock and sales reports
- Priority
- Less repetitive work
- Tools
- Stock and sales spreadsheets → Weekly management report
- Steps
- The same core steps, with exceptions
- Current obstacle
- Collecting the figures takes too long
- Period
- 2026-08-03 to 2026-08-30; usual
- Items counted
- 48. Planning estimate
- Time spent
- 25–35 staff minutes, average per counted item. Planning estimate
- Person responsible
- One named person
Is there an approved version to work from? Yes, with the source material
Does a tool you already use have a feature that could help with this task? We checked and found no suitable feature
What happens if this step is wrong? We correct it internally
How the time is calculated
48 items × 25–35 staff minutes per item ÷ 60 = 20–28 staff hours in this period.
Count: Your estimate.
Time: Your estimate.
An extrapolation from your per-item average, assumed to apply to all counted items (including zero-time items). Your estimated inputs remain estimates. This is time spent, not time proven avoidable or saved.
- You selected: preparing recurring reports.
- Your priority: less repetitive work.
- The task moves from spreadsheet to another place.
- You reported 48 reports prepared for 2026-08-03 to 2026-08-30. Source: Your estimate.
Scope: One team or department. This check covers “Prepare weekly stock and sales reports”, based on your answers. It does not rank every part of your business or verify your records. The automation brief uses authored workflow rules selected by your answers. No independent audit or tool compatibility check has taken place.
Save or share the full planText, PDF and a blank measurement sheet.
Preparation checklist
- Metric and agreed definition
- Source location and reporting period
- Missing-data / unusual-change check
- Reviewer and distribution rule
The build and pilot plan
Before building
Check that Stock and sales spreadsheets and Weekly management report support the necessary access, export or connection. Compatibility and build effort have not been verified. Keep the trial within this team; confirm the system owner's access and review requirements before connecting anything.
Your first pilot
Recreate one previously approved report from the same source data. Compare every figure, then trial the next reporting cycle and record preparation plus review time.
Stop or adjust if
Figures cannot be traced, reporting periods differ, exceptions disappear or review takes longer than the original work.
Bring to a working session
- Bring one input from Stock and sales spreadsheets and the corresponding finished output in Weekly management report.
- Identify who owns the process, who can approve access and which exceptions must stay with a person.
- Confirm the baseline, the smallest useful change, setup effort and recurring costs before agreeing a build.
Check the result
Count reports, active preparation and review time, missing figures and corrections. Compare the same report scope and data cut-off before and after the change. Compare combined active staff time for the same task and a comparable volume, including checks and corrections.
If nothing changes
If the same volume and handling time repeat, this task would take another 20–28 staff hours in each comparable period. The same manual steps will still need someone's attention each time the task repeats. A successful trial could reduce that burden; savings still need to be measured.
Your optional time target
Current 20–28 hours − remaining 6–8 hours = 12 to 22 hours freed. For ranges: current low minus remaining high, through current high minus remaining low. Negative values mean extra work.
Staff-time value: 7,200 to 13,200 NOK in this period (12 to 22 hours × your 600 NOK/hour staff cost). This is capacity value, not a payroll or cash saving; software and setup costs are not deducted.
What-if scenario using your assumed remaining time for the same task, people, volume and period. Remaining time includes reviews, exceptions, corrections and ongoing upkeep. The bounds combine your inputs; they are not a statistical confidence interval. A comparable pilot must test the assumption. One-off setup time and software costs must also be weighed before investing.
Your answers and their sources
Planning assumptions: 48 recurring reports over four weeks, 25–35 staff minutes per report, a 6–8 hour target for the same work, and a staff cost of 600 NOK/hour. Validate these inputs and the proposed workflow against real records before making an investment decision.
Supplied staff cost: 600 NOK per hour. Planning assumption; not independently verified.
- Kind of work
- Day-to-day operations
- Scope
- One team or department
- Situation
- Preparing recurring reports
- Your task
- Prepare weekly stock and sales reports
- Priority
- Less repetitive work
- Tools
- Stock and sales spreadsheets → Weekly management report
- Steps
- The same core steps, with exceptions
- Current obstacle
- Collecting the figures takes too long
- Period
- 2026-08-03 to 2026-08-30; usual
- Items counted
- 48. Planning estimate
- Time spent
- 25–35 staff minutes, average per counted item. Planning estimate
- Person responsible
- One named person
Is there an approved version to work from? Yes, with the source material
Does a tool you already use have a feature that could help with this task? We checked and found no suitable feature
What happens if this step is wrong? We correct it internally
How the time is calculated
48 items × 25–35 staff minutes per item ÷ 60 = 20–28 staff hours in this period.
Count: Your estimate.
Time: Your estimate.
An extrapolation from your per-item average, assumed to apply to all counted items (including zero-time items). Your estimated inputs remain estimates. This is time spent, not time proven avoidable or saved.
- You selected: preparing recurring reports.
- Your priority: less repetitive work.
- The task moves from spreadsheet to another place.
- You reported 48 reports prepared for 2026-08-03 to 2026-08-30. Source: Your estimate.
Scope: One team or department. This check covers “Prepare weekly stock and sales reports”, based on your answers. It does not rank every part of your business or verify your records. The automation brief uses authored workflow rules selected by your answers. No independent audit or tool compatibility check has taken place.
Measurement sheet
Record date, item reference, active staff minutes, waiting time and corrections for a comparable batch before and after the change.
| Phase / item | Staff minutes | Waiting time | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|