Ops audit template
By Tom Hunt · Updated October 2026
An ops audit answers one question: where do your people lose hours, and what should you fix first? This is the five-step version we run for people businesses - businesses that sell their people's expertise and time: agencies, accountants, lawyers, consultants. Run it yourself, or have us run it.
Step 1 - Map the apps
- Fill in the app inventory spreadsheet - every app, owner, cost and users
- Mark where data is typed into one app from another
- Note which apps have no clear owner
Step 2 - Talk to the team
- Hold 20-minute chats with one person from each role
- Ask: what do you do every week that feels like copying, chasing or rebuilding?
- Ask: what would you do with that time if you got it back?
Step 3 - Count the hours
- Run the hours-lost worksheet for one normal week
- Total the hours a year by task, across everyone who does it
- Value them at a loaded hourly cost
Step 4 - Shortlist the fixes
- Rank the tasks by hours a year
- For the top three, write what a fix would look like (connect two apps, an internal tool, a client portal)
- Check each fix in the automation ROI calculator
Step 5 - Decide and plan
- Pick one fix to build first - the one with the most hours and the clearest owner
- Agree how you will measure it: hours back, and whether people actually use it
- Book a review a month after it goes live
pick a version, copy it, or download as .docx or .pdf - then make it yours.
How to fill it in
Start with the apps
The map shows you where to look. Most lost hours sit between two apps, not inside one.
Listen before you count
People know where their week goes. The chats tell you which tasks to log.
Count for a real week
A measured week beats a confident guess every time.
Pick one thing
Fix the biggest, clearest problem first and measure it. A list of twenty fixes rarely ships.
For example: an audit summary
A realistic, filled-in version - so you can see what good looks like before you start.
Firm: 22-person accounting practice Apps mapped: 11 | Apps with no owner: 3 Biggest gap: client documents chased by email, then saved to the practice management system by hand Top three fixes 1. Client document requests from one portal - for example, around 6 hours a week across the team 2. Engagement letters sent and signed from the CRM 3. Weekly WIP report built automatically First build: the document portal. Measure: hours a week on chasing, before and after. (Example figures, for illustration only.)
Common mistakes
- Skipping the team chats and auditing from the owner's view only.
- Ending with a long wish list instead of one first build.
- Measuring success by features shipped instead of hours back and actual use.
Rather we ran it?
A Forge ops audit takes two weeks: we map your apps, talk to your team, count the hours and scope your first three builds. $2,500 / £2,000, credited to your first month.
Frequently asked questions
What is an ops audit?
A short, structured look at how a firm actually runs - its apps, its workflows and the hours its people lose to manual work - ending in a ranked list of what to fix first.
Can I run an ops audit myself?
Yes. This template walks through the same five steps we use. The hard parts are getting honest time logs and staying neutral about which apps to keep.
What does a Forge ops audit cost?
$2,500 / £2,000 for two weeks, credited to your first month if you go on to a monthly plan. You get your apps mapped, the hours counted and your first three builds scoped and priced.