August 2026 - Page 15 of 44

A discovery workshop is where an automation budget becomes a decision, and most of them are wasted because nobody prepared the numbers. This guide is what to expect in full: the one-line definition that separates discovery from a brainstorm and from a vendor demo, the six to ten people who belong in the room and the ones who do not, the preparation that decides whether the day finishes early or ends in another meeting, a seven-stage agenda, an hour-by-hour account of how the day actually feels, the five artefacts you should refuse to leave without, realistic UK costs and who really pays, the five red flags that mark a sales meeting in disguise, remote versus in-person formats, and a thirty-day plan that turns the shortlist into a go or no-go decision you can defend.

Your first automation is a credibility project before it is a productivity project, and the process you pick decides which. This guide is the selection method in full: the five properties every strong candidate shares, the five conditions that disqualify one instantly, where to find candidates using data rather than workshops, a seven-criterion weighted scoring rubric with worked thresholds, how to size volume, handling time and error rate honestly, the feasibility and risk checks that catch expensive surprises, why technology comes second, a full worked example reducing twenty-three candidates to one, and a 90-day plan from standing start to a go or no-go decision you can defend.