Built By Base Code
Built By Base Code
Secure. Automate. Scale.
Self-audit
Business automation · small business
builtbybasecode.com/audit/automation

Where is your business still doing it by hand?

Eighteen yes/no questions across the workflows that quietly consume hours in a small business, from quote-to-invoice through to end-of-month reporting. Ten minutes to complete. Higher score means more of your business is already automated. A lower score points at the opportunities. Interpretation and next steps on the reverse.

How to score. Tick Yes (2 pts) if this workflow is genuinely automated end to end and running reliably. Tick Not sure (1 pt) if it partly works, or if it only runs for some of your team or clients. Tick No (0 pts) if this is still done manually every time.

01Sales & intake 4 questions

1.1
New quote requests are captured directly into your CRM, job board, or a structured system. They do not sit as unread emails waiting for you to copy details.
1.2
Quotes are generated from a template with client details pre-filled from the enquiry, not typed from scratch every time.
1.3
When a client accepts a quote, the job is automatically created in your scheduling or project system without you re-typing anything.
1.4
Appointments and consultations can be booked directly to your calendar (self-serve or team-managed), not by phone tag or back-and-forth email.

02Tools & integrations 3 questions

2.1
Your team uses one central system to see all active clients, jobs, or projects. It is not scattered across email, whiteboards, paper, and a personal spreadsheet.
2.2
Your core tools (CRM, accounting, project, calendar) are connected. Data does not have to be re-typed between them.
2.3
You could list every SaaS subscription your business pays for, what it does, and roughly what it costs each month.

03Data entry & single source of truth 3 questions

3.1
Customer details are entered once, then flow through to invoicing, jobs, and communications. Nobody re-types names, addresses, or phone numbers.
3.2
There are no duplicate customer records that get out of sync (two entries with slightly different names, phone numbers, or spellings across systems).
3.3
Business-critical data is not held only in a spreadsheet on one person's laptop, or one physical folder in the office.
Built By Base Code
Built By Base Code
Secure. Automate. Scale.
Self-audit · continued
Business automation · small business
builtbybasecode.com/audit/automation

04Client communications 3 questions

4.1
Clients automatically receive booking confirmations, appointment reminders, and job-status updates without you personally sending each one.
4.2
Overdue invoices trigger polite reminders on a schedule without you writing each chase email yourself.
4.3
Completed jobs trigger a review request or feedback prompt automatically. You do not have to remember to ask.

05Reporting & visibility 3 questions

5.1
You can pull a monthly revenue, margin, and pipeline number in under 15 minutes. It does not require rebuilding a spreadsheet from scratch.
5.2
A shared dashboard exists that shows the key business numbers your team needs, updated automatically. Not a slide deck rebuilt every month.
5.3
Data your accountant or the ATO might need is exportable in a structured format on demand, not reconstructed from receipts at year end.

06Handovers & resilience 2 questions

6.1
Every recurring workflow in your business has a documented process (even a rough checklist) that someone new could follow.
6.2
No single person is the only one who knows how to run a critical business process. If one person is off sick, work continues.
Built By Base Code
Built By Base Code
Secure. Automate. Scale.
Score & next steps
Business Automation Self-Audit
builtbybasecode.com/audit/automation
Add your ticks · Yes = 2, Not sure = 1, No = 0 Maximum possible: 36. Write your total in the box.
/ 36

What your score means

Well automated 28 to 36

Your operations run well. Most of the mechanical work is already off your plate. The next tier of value tends to sit in AI-assisted work (email triage, document generation, semantic search across your knowledge base) and in tightening the integrations that occasionally break.

Real opportunities visible 15 to 27

You have some automations in place and clear gaps where hours are being spent on repeatable work. This is where most small businesses land. A short scoping project can identify the two or three highest-impact workflows and reclaim ten to twenty hours a month, typically for a fixed cost less than one month of the saved time.

Significant manual work 0 to 14

Most of your business is still running on manual repetition and person-in-the-loop process. This is not unusual, especially for businesses that grew fast and never got to pause. The upside is that the first automation wins tend to be dramatic. Reclaiming 20+ hours a month is realistic in a 2 to 6 week fixed-price project.

Wherever you scored, do these three things this month

  1. Track your own week for five days. Every 30 minutes, jot down what you are doing. At week's end, circle everything that is repetitive. That list is your automation shortlist.
  2. List every SaaS your business pays for. Include amount, purpose, and whether anyone actually uses it. Most small businesses discover they are paying for two or three duplicates.
  3. Pick one recurring workflow and document the steps. Documentation is the goal this month, automation comes next. Documented processes are the first thing that lets you delegate, systemise, or hand to a tool.
Ready to reclaim the hours?

Book a free 30-minute discovery call.

Thirty minutes to walk through your current workflows and see where automation actually pays back. No obligation. Fixed-price scope within 5 business days if a project fits.

Book at builtbybasecode.com/contact Or email services@builtbybasecode.com · We reply within one business day.
About Built By Base Code. We are a local IT consultancy based in Ballina, serving small businesses across Ballina, Byron, Lismore, Casino, and Tweed. We build cybersecurity, process automation, and cloud infrastructure. Every project is quoted at a fixed price in writing, and you own the end result outright, with documentation, credentials, and training at handover. No lock-in contracts. Automation projects use tools you already pay for wherever possible, rather than adding another subscription.