Process Design Sprint

A Process Design Sprint is the fastest way to understand how work really happens, validate the rules
behind it, and redesign the flow so digital workers and humans can work together safely and efficiently.
Better Business by Design uses this sprint format to deliver clear, governable, automation-ready processes in days —
not months.

Why Run a Process Design Sprint?

Most organisations rely on documentation that is outdated, incomplete or simply wrong. This leads to automation
built on assumptions — and assumptions lead to risk.

Our Process Design Sprint solves this by accelerating discovery and validation into a structured, time-boxed workflow that:

  • Reveals the real work happening across teams and systems
  • Validates the knowledge required for decisions and exceptions
  • Standardises rules that may currently contradict each other
  • Designs human–digital collaboration for smooth operation
  • Produces clear artefacts ready for automation or operational change

This sprint is the foundation of our Design First → Automate Second approach.

What the Sprint Produces

In 3–10 days, the sprint delivers a complete set of automation-ready artefacts:

1. Process Reality Map

  • End-to-end mapping of the current workflow
  • Volumes, cycle-times, FTE effort and risk points
  • Human vs digital task split

2. Validated Decision Logic

  • Rules, tolerances and policy alignments
  • Clarified edge cases and exception pathways
  • Cross-team agreement on the true “source of authority”

3. Knowledge Alignment

  • Identification of knowledge gaps, duplicates and inconsistencies
  • Rewritten rules in automation-friendly and AI-friendly formats
  • Content aligned with NZ-WAS 1.2 and NZ-WUS 1.4 where applicable

4. Future-State Workflow

  • Human-to-digital collaboration flow
  • Trigger points, decision nodes, exception handling
  • System interactions and data flow design

5. Automation & AI Opportunity Heatmap

  • Identified automation components
  • Effort vs value scoring
  • Rough-order-of-magnitude ROI

6. WorkHub 360 Governance Blueprint

  • Digital worker roles and access profiles
  • Required controls and logging
  • Evidence capture and audit rules
  • Change control and versioning plan

How the Process Design Sprint Works

Day 1 – Reveal

We map how work really happens using the people who do it every day. This removes ambiguity and exposes the “real workflow”
that documentation often hides.

Day 2 – Validate

We identify the rules, knowledge sources, policies and decision-making criteria. We resolve contradictions and stabilise
the logic so automation and AI can rely on it.

Day 3 – Orchestrate

We design how humans, systems and digital workers collaborate. We define triggers, hand-offs, escalation rules and
exception pathways aligned to governance and NZISM patterns.

Day 4–5 – Automate Readiness

We produce automation-ready artefacts and define digital worker roles, ensuring everything can be safely executed and
monitored through WorkHub 360.

Optional Extended Sprint (up to 10 days)

For complex processes involving multiple systems, policy domains or risk types, we extend into deeper rule validation,
data mapping and security alignment.

Aligned to the Four Fundamentals of Responsible Automation & AI

Every Process Design Sprint applies the Four Fundamentals:

  1. Validated Knowledge — no rule or policy enters automation until verified.
  2. Targeted Accessibility — different knowledge views for staff, customers and digital workers.
  3. Continuous Update — future changes flow into WorkHub 360 without full redesign.
  4. Response & Action Intelligence — fixed, hybrid or AI-supported decisioning where appropriate.

This ensures every future digital worker operates safely and predictably.

What CXOs Gain

A Process Design Sprint gives executives clarity and certainty:

  • Immediate insight into where efficiency, risk and inconsistency exist
  • Automation-ready documentation without months of analysis
  • Board-ready justification for automation or AI investment
  • Reduced delivery risk by validating rules before automation begins
  • Measurable ROI pathways through the opportunity heatmap
  • Clear operating model showing how digital workers and people interact

It is often the fastest way for a CXO to build confidence, secure support and demonstrate leadership.

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