What are we actually trying to produce—not merely what task are we trying to make faster?

What business, customer, or operational outcome does this work produce?
How is success recognized? What downstream work depends on it?
What would become worse if this work failed silently?

How does the work really happen when the case is messy?

Handoffs, tools, data, and informal coordination
Workarounds and departures from the documented process
A recent hard case, exception, or recovery

Besides the visible deliverable, what does this activity make possible?

If AI changes the visible work, what moves elsewhere in the system?

What disappears—and which required functions disappear with it?
What new work appears? After the change, what becomes scarce?
Who owns verification, exceptions, failure, and recovery?
What genuinely new capability becomes possible?

Capacity is not value. Freed hours land somewhere whether or not anyone chose where. All four, one sentence each.

Value pool — which result, past hours saved?

Binding constraint — what stops more of that result today?

Capacity destination — where do the freed hours go?

Complementary changes — what else actually changes?

Can’t name the value and the constraint? You’re not ready to build. Don’t pick a move yet.

EliminateThe work should not happen at all. SimplifyIt should happen, with less of it. AutomateThe machine does it end to end. AugmentThe human does it, faster and better. DelegateThe call moves to another role or system, under explicit limits. ReorganizeSame work, different hands or different sequence. CreateNew work, a new role, or a control that did not exist. Leave aloneIt is fine, and touching it costs more than it returns.

Why this move?

Replacement mechanisms — what carries the hidden functions now?

What evidence would change this?

Fast test

01. Starting from a model capability instead of an outcome? Restart at Outcome.

02. Can't explain the hard case? Go back to Work as Done.

03. Can't say where the hidden functions go? Don't automate yet.

04. Changes decision rights? Treat authority as architecture—not a prompt.

05. Value and constraint don’t fit in a sentence? You’ve been building, not deciding.

AI Work Fit Canvas

Outcome

Work as Done

Hidden Functions

Change Test

What is this supposed to move?

Choose the move