AI audit for SMEs in Brussels: prioritise processes before investing
An AI audit for a Brussels SME should support a decision: which process to test, with what data, controls and total cost? Prepare it by comparing real tasks rather than agent ideas without a scope. This worksheet helps select a first pilot without assuming a return on investment.
Gather three observable processes
Choose three recurring tasks: preparing follow-ups, classifying enquiries or producing a report. For each, record the trigger, inputs, steps, output and reviewer. “Automate sales” is an entire function; “prepare open quotes for review each morning” is a bounded process.
Measure without inventing savings
In a fictional example, 12 cases each require 10 minutes of preparation and 5 minutes of review: 180 minutes, or 3 hours. A pilot with 4 minutes of preparation but 8 minutes of review totals 144 minutes, or 2.4 hours. The difference is 36 minutes, neither a customer result nor a forecast for your project.
Include errors, rework, subscriptions, implementation and maintenance. Volume can change with the season or difficult cases. If the baseline is unknown, observe a sample before calculating. Faster preparation is not the same as net savings.
Compare value, verification and dependencies
Evaluate four criteria: frequency and current cost, data availability, ease of verification and consequences of an error. Do not hide a major risk inside a favourable average score. A case without reliable sources or an approval owner needs further scoping.
Choose a pilot with a fallback
Choose a task whose owner can correct the result and whose sources can be used. The pilot starts by preparing a draft; consequential decisions remain human. Define a normal case, an incomplete case and a contradiction, then criteria for continuing or stopping.
Decide who receives errors, how to disable the workflow and where instructions are stored. In a multilingual Brussels team, test the languages actually used and your field’s references. One successful French example does not automatically validate Dutch or English.
What to request in the deliverable
Request a process map, required access, pilot scope, tests and costs with assumptions. Separate included work from points requiring confirmation. The audit should also explain whether an existing rule or software tool is sufficient, rather than recommending AI for every case.
Prepare your audit with Partna
The architecture and scoping audit page describes the relevant approach. Bring your three processes, sources and people who know the work. The AI agent requirements template complements the worksheet. For a first sales use case, see automating quote follow-ups.
Conclusion
To remember
The right first pilot is one you can measure, verify and take over. Compare real processes and make unknowns visible before implementation.