Before you replace a process or buy another tool, find out what the one you have actually does. The fastest way is to follow a single record through every automation it touches and write down what happens at each step.
This checklist is designed for a working session. Bring the person who owns each system, pick one recent lead and work through the three parts below. You'll end with a list of steps to keep, repair or redesign, each with an owner and a retest.
Part 1. Inventory the path
List every automated step the record passes through, in order. One row per step. Start from the moment the record enters your systems and stop when a person takes ownership.
Blank worksheet row
Copy this row for each step.
| Step | Trigger | Source fields | Destination | Owner | Expected result | Actual result | Pass or fail |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Completed example row
Labeled example. A website quote form feeding a CRM.
| Step | Trigger | Source fields | Destination | Owner | Expected result | Actual result | Pass or fail |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Create lead | Quote form submitted on /contact | Name, email, company, service, message, consent checkbox, UTM source | CRM lead record | Marketing operations | One new lead within 5 minutes, all fields mapped, consent stored, source set from UTM | Lead created in 2 minutes. Consent stored. UTM source blank because the form drops hidden fields on mobile | Fail |
The actual result column is the point of the exercise. Fill it from what you observe with the test record, not from what the setup is supposed to do.
Questions for each row
- What exactly starts this step? A form submission, a field change, a schedule?
- Which fields does it read, and are they always filled in?
- Where does the data go, and who can see it there?
- Who owns this step if it breaks? A name, not a team.
- What should happen, and how quickly?
- Does it check consent or contact preferences before sending anything?
Part 2. Test the exceptions
A workflow that handles a perfect record can still lose real ones. Run three test records through the path and record what happens. Use clearly labeled test data such as "Audit Test Duplicate" so nobody mistakes it for a real lead.
| Test | How to run it | What to record |
|---|---|---|
| Duplicate | Submit the form twice with the same email | Does the CRM create two leads, merge them or flag them? Does the owner get notified twice? |
| Incomplete record | Submit with an optional field empty and an unusual value in another, such as a company name with an ampersand | Does the step fail, skip the field or write bad data? |
| Unavailable destination | Ask the system owner to pause the integration or use a test endpoint that rejects the write | Is the data lost, retried later or sent to a person? Does anyone get told? |
For each test, mark one of three outcomes.
- Lost. The record or part of it disappears with no alert.
- Retried. The system tries again and eventually succeeds or alerts someone.
- Sent to a person. A named owner receives the record and knows what to do.
Lost is the result to fix first.
Part 3. Choose the next repair
Go back through every row marked fail and every exception marked lost. Sort each one into one of two groups.
Configuration fix
The process is right but a setting is wrong. A field mapping is missing, a filter is too strict or a notification goes to an old address. These are usually quick, and the system owner can often fix them in the same week.
Process redesign
The step itself doesn't make sense. Nobody owns it, two systems do the same job, or the rule depends on a decision that's made in someone's head or a side spreadsheet. Fixing the setting won't help. The process needs to be designed again before anything is rebuilt.
Assign an owner and a retest
For each item, write down three things.
| Item | Fix type | Owner | Retest |
|---|---|---|---|
| UTM source blank on mobile form submissions | Configuration fix | Web developer | Submit a labeled test from a phone with a tagged URL. Confirm the CRM lead shows the source |
The retest should be something the team can do again without help. If the retest needs a specialist every time, note that too.
What this checklist doesn't cover
This audit covers operational workflows, the steps that move records between systems and people. It doesn't cover tag firing or GA4 property setup. For those, see GA4 and Google Tag Manager audits.
When the answer is redesign
If most of your items land in process redesign, the next step is mapping the process with the people who run it. Marketing operations consulting covers how we do that. If the process is clear and you're ready to build the replacement, see AI workflow automation. Back to all guides.
Start with one record. Copy the worksheet row above and run it with your team this week.