Transformation Objective Routing
Choose the adoption outcome first, then route workflow evidence toward it.
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Time to result
- ~weeks to results
- Steps
- 6
- Confidence
- 91%
Transformation Objective Routing treats the same current-state workflow analysis as raw material that can support different organizational outcomes. Leaders first decide what behavior they want: adoption of a specific assistant, use of shared skills, AI-aware onboarding, or another explicit capability. They then filter the workflow evidence through that objective. A tool-adoption route identifies work that can move into ChatGPT or Claude; a skills route converts repeated processes into reusable team assets; an onboarding route turns observed practices into documentation explaining how the organization works. This keeps recommendations aligned with the desired behavior instead of producing a generic list of automation ideas. Success is measured by whether people adopt the targeted practice, not merely by whether a report was produced.
Origin
Extracted from Marketing Against The Grain.
Core principles
- 01Define the behavioral outcome before designing the intervention
- 02Reuse the same workflow evidence for different transformation goals
- 03Focus recommendations on the selected adoption path
- 04Treat AI transformation as context-dependent rather than universal
How to run it
- 1
Name the outcome
Specify the behavior or capability the transformation should create rather than starting with a preferred technology.
Pro tip Phrase the outcome in observable terms, such as team members using shared skills for recurring analysis.
Watch out A vague goal such as 'use more AI' cannot guide useful prioritization.
- 2
Select the route
Choose the primary route, such as assistant adoption, shared skill creation, or AI-enabled onboarding.
Pro tip Select one primary route for the first pilot.
Watch out Pursuing every route simultaneously can overwhelm users and obscure what worked.
- 3
Filter workflow evidence
Review documented work and identify the moments most relevant to the chosen transformation route.
Pro tip For tool adoption, find manual actions the target assistant can perform immediately.
Watch out Do not prioritize an opportunity solely because it is technically interesting.
- 4
Build route-specific assets
Create prompts, skills, onboarding documents, or operating procedures that directly support the desired behavior.
Pro tip Embed assets in the environment where the team already works.
Watch out Reports alone rarely create sustained adoption.
- 5
Pilot and measure behavior
Test the assets with a bounded group and observe whether users actually adopt the intended practice.
Pro tip Track repeated use rather than one-time demonstrations.
Watch out Do not confuse positive feedback with durable behavioral change.
- 6
Adapt the route
Use pilot evidence to simplify the intervention, change the assets, or select a different route.
Pro tip Keep the current-state workflow map so it can be reused for another objective.
Watch out Avoid scaling an approach that people understand but consistently bypass.
In the wild
A leader wants everyone to use Claude. The team analyzes recorded workflows specifically for manual activities Claude can perform, then creates targeted prompts and demonstrations for those moments rather than issuing a generic AI mandate.
→ The transformation plan becomes a focused assistant-adoption program.
A team wants repeatable automation rather than individual prompting. Its workflow analysis is converted into shared skills that encode common procedures and can be distributed across the team.
→ Individual discoveries become reusable organizational capabilities.
A company uses recorded workflows to produce onboarding documents explaining how work is currently done and where AI participates in the process.
→ New employees learn both the operating model and the expected AI-assisted behaviors.
Common mistakes
Starting with tools instead of outcomes
Mandating a platform without defining the desired behavior produces scattered and superficial usage.
Applying every route at once
Simultaneous tool, skill, onboarding, and automation programs create excessive cognitive load.
Measuring documents instead of behavior
Producing prompts and reports is not success unless people repeatedly use them in real work.
Is it for you?
Best for
This is best for leaders who have detailed workflow evidence but need to decide what kind of AI adoption program to build from it.
Not ideal for
It is not ideal when stakeholders have not agreed on the outcome they want from AI transformation.
From the transcript
“It depends what you're trying to do in terms of your AI transformation. There's a multitude of different things.”
“If you really want to get your team using skills in whatever platform they're using, then you would say, well, use this to create skills…”
“Or if you want to start to make AI part of your employee onboard, and you could create onboarding docs of how we work, and…”
From the episode
I Built a $20,000 AI Consultant You Can Have For Free