Implementation: Conduct Your Analysis
Step-by-step guide to creating task inventory, assessing exposure, calculating risk scores, and building career pivot plans
Implementation: Your Task-Based Exposure Analysis
Now we get practical. Roll up your sleeves—this is where self-awareness becomes career strategy.
Step 1: Create Your Task Inventory
Time: 45-60 minutes
Grab your Task Inventory Template (provided) or create a spreadsheet with these columns:
| Task Name | Description | Time % | Frequency | Category |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Instructions
-
List every task you perform in your job. Be granular. Don't write "manage projects"—break it down:
- Schedule project meetings
- Review project timelines
- Assign tasks to team members
- Monitor project progress
- Report status to stakeholders
- Resolve project blockers
- Conduct retrospectives
-
Describe each task in 1-2 sentences. What does it involve? What outputs do you produce?
-
Estimate time allocation. What percentage of your total work time goes to this task? (These should sum to roughly 100%)
-
Note frequency. Daily? Weekly? Monthly? Ad-hoc?
-
Categorize each task:
- RC = Routine Cognitive
- NRC = Non-Routine Cognitive
- RM = Routine Manual
- NRM = Non-Routine Manual
Example: Marketing Manager Task Inventory
| Task Name | Description | Time % | Frequency | Category |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Email campaign creation | Write subject lines, body copy, CTAs for newsletters | 8% | Weekly | RC/NRC |
| Social media posting | Draft and schedule posts across Twitter, LinkedIn | 5% | Daily | RC |
| Campaign performance analysis | Review metrics, identify trends, create reports | 10% | Weekly | RC |
| Strategic campaign planning | Develop quarterly campaign themes and messaging | 15% | Quarterly | NRC |
| Stakeholder presentations | Present results and plans to leadership | 8% | Monthly | NRC |
| Team coordination | Assign tasks, review work, provide feedback | 12% | Daily | NRC |
| Budget management | Track spending, allocate resources, negotiate contracts | 7% | Monthly | RC |
| Brand voice development | Refine messaging, ensure consistency, update guidelines | 6% | Quarterly | NRC |
| Customer research | Conduct interviews, analyze feedback, identify insights | 10% | Monthly | NRC |
| Content calendar management | Plan and organize content across channels | 5% | Weekly | RC |
| Tool administration | Manage MarTech stack, troubleshoot issues | 4% | Ad-hoc | RC |
| Cross-functional collaboration | Work with sales, product, support on initiatives | 10% | Ongoing | NRC |
Pro tip: Don't edit yourself. Write down everything, even the tasks you wish you didn't do. The boring admin work. The pointless meetings. The parts you delegate. Full honesty.
Common mistake: Listing aspirational tasks instead of actual tasks. Write what you do, not what your job description says you do.
Step 2: Assess AI Exposure for Each Task
Time: 60-90 minutes
Now score each task on three dimensions:
- TF (Task Fit): How well can AI replicate this task?
- EV (Economic Viability): How cost-effective is AI automation?
- RC (Regulatory Constraints): What barriers exist to AI adoption?
Scoring Guide
Use this reference table for each dimension:
TF (Task Fit): 0-10 scale
| Score | Description |
|---|---|
| 0-2 | Purely human judgment, emotional intelligence, physical presence required |
| 3-4 | Highly contextual, requires deep tacit knowledge and intuition |
| 5-6 | Mix of routine and judgment; AI could assist but not replace |
| 7-8 | Largely routine with clear rules; AI could handle most aspects |
| 9-10 | Highly structured, data-driven, repetitive; perfect AI fit |
EV (Economic Viability): 0-10 scale
| Score | Description |
|---|---|
| 0-2 | AI solution more expensive than human labor; no ROI |
| 3-4 | Marginal cost savings; only viable at massive scale |
| 5-6 | Break-even or slight advantage; depends on implementation |
| 7-8 | Clear cost savings within 1-2 years |
| 9-10 | Immediate, dramatic cost reduction; obvious business case |
RC (Regulatory Constraints): 0-10 scale (Reverse scored: higher = fewer barriers)
| Score | Description |
|---|---|
| 0-2 | Strict legal/ethical prohibitions; AI use highly restricted |
| 3-4 | Significant regulatory oversight; compliance burden high |
| 5-6 | Moderate regulatory scrutiny; requires human oversight |
| 7-8 | Light regulation; general data protection standards apply |
| 9-10 | No meaningful regulatory barriers; AI freely deployable |
Example Scoring: Marketing Manager Tasks
| Task Name | TF | EV | RC | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Email campaign creation | 8 | 9 | 9 | AI excels at copywriting; tools like Jasper/Copy.ai already used |
| Social media posting | 9 | 10 | 9 | Fully automatable; scheduling tools + AI content generation |
| Campaign performance analysis | 9 | 10 | 9 | Data analysis is AI's core strength; dashboard tools available |
| Strategic campaign planning | 5 | 6 | 8 | Requires market intuition, brand understanding; AI assists research |
| Stakeholder presentations | 4 | 5 | 9 | Requires persuasion, relationship building, reading the room |
| Team coordination | 3 | 4 | 8 | Human management skills critical; AI can help with task tracking |
| Budget management | 7 | 8 | 7 | Financial tracking automatable; negotiation requires human touch |
| Brand voice development | 6 | 7 | 9 | AI can analyze consistency but defining voice requires judgment |
| Customer research | 6 | 7 | 6 | AI can process feedback but conducting interviews needs empathy |
| Content calendar management | 8 | 9 | 9 | Scheduling and planning easily automated |
| Tool administration | 7 | 8 | 9 | Technical troubleshooting increasingly AI-assisted |
| Cross-functional collaboration | 2 | 3 | 9 | Relationship building, political navigation require human skills |
Overall Exposure Formula: For each task, calculate the average: (TF + EV + RC) / 3. This gives you a 0-10 exposure score per task. Higher scores mean higher automation risk.
Step 3: Calculate Your Weighted Automation Risk Score
Time: 15 minutes
Now combine task exposure with time allocation to calculate your overall job automation risk.
Formula
For each task:
Task Risk Contribution = (Task Exposure Score) × (Time % / 100)Then sum all Task Risk Contributions to get your Weighted Automation Risk Score (WARS).
Example Calculation: Marketing Manager
| Task Name | Exposure Score | Time % | Risk Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Email campaign creation | 8.7 | 8% | 0.70 |
| Social media posting | 9.3 | 5% | 0.47 |
| Campaign performance analysis | 9.3 | 10% | 0.93 |
| Strategic campaign planning | 6.3 | 15% | 0.95 |
| Stakeholder presentations | 6.0 | 8% | 0.48 |
| Team coordination | 5.0 | 12% | 0.60 |
| Budget management | 7.3 | 7% | 0.51 |
| Brand voice development | 7.3 | 6% | 0.44 |
| Customer research | 6.3 | 10% | 0.63 |
| Content calendar management | 8.7 | 5% | 0.44 |
| Tool administration | 8.0 | 4% | 0.32 |
| Cross-functional collaboration | 4.7 | 10% | 0.47 |
Total WARS: 6.94 / 10
Interpreting Your Score: A score of 0-3 indicates low automation risk with most tasks requiring human judgment and relationships. A score of 4-6 suggests moderate risk where automation will change the job but not eliminate it completely. A score of 7-10 signals high risk with many tasks already automatable or becoming automatable within 3-5 years. This marketing manager at 6.94 is in the danger zone, with content creation and analytics tasks highly exposed while strategic and interpersonal work remains safer.
Step 4: Identify AI-Resistant Skills to Develop
Time: 30 minutes
Look at your task inventory. Which tasks have the LOWEST exposure scores? These reveal your AI-resistant skills—your career insurance policy.
Strategic Question: Which tasks have the LOWEST exposure scores? These are your career anchors. The tasks that scored 0-4 on exposure reveal skills that AI struggles with. Focus your professional development here. These are the skills that will remain valuable even as AI transforms your industry.
Seven Categories of AI-Resistant Skills
1. Complex Problem-Solving in Novel Contexts
- Handling unprecedented situations without clear precedent
- Navigating ambiguity and conflicting information
- Making judgment calls with incomplete data
- Adapting frameworks from one domain to another
Example from Marketing Manager: Strategic campaign planning in response to unexpected market shifts
2. Emotional and Social Intelligence
- Reading subtle emotional cues in conversations
- Building trust and rapport over time
- Navigating organizational politics
- Persuading and influencing without formal authority
- Conflict resolution and mediation
Example from Marketing Manager: Team coordination, stakeholder presentations, cross-functional collaboration
3. Creative Synthesis and Original Thinking
- Combining disparate ideas in novel ways
- Asking questions no one else is asking
- Challenging industry assumptions
- Envisioning futures that don't yet exist
Example from Marketing Manager: Brand voice development (defining, not just applying)
4. Ethical and Value-Based Decision Making
- Weighing competing moral considerations
- Balancing short-term gains with long-term consequences
- Representing stakeholder interests fairly
- Navigating gray areas where rules don't clearly apply
Example from Marketing Manager: Customer research (understanding why people feel certain ways, not just what they say)
5. Physical Dexterity in Unstructured Environments
- Tasks requiring fine motor skills in variable conditions
- Physical presence and embodied interaction
- Improvisation with physical tools and materials
Example from Marketing Manager: Limited applicability (mostly cognitive work)
6. Relationship Cultivation and Maintenance
- Building long-term professional networks
- Mentoring and coaching others
- Representing the organization's human face
- Maintaining client relationships through trust
Example from Marketing Manager: Stakeholder presentations, cross-functional collaboration
7. Strategic Contextual Judgment
- Understanding organizational culture and unwritten rules
- Timing decisions based on political realities
- Knowing when to push and when to wait
- Recognizing which battles to fight
Example from Marketing Manager: Strategic campaign planning, budget negotiation
Step 5: Conduct a Skills Gap Analysis
Time: 20 minutes
Now compare your current skill levels in AI-resistant areas against what your industry will demand in 3-5 years.
Skills Gap Matrix
| AI-Resistant Skill Category | Current Level (1-5) | Future Industry Demand (1-5) | Gap | Priority |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Complex Problem-Solving | ||||
| Emotional/Social Intelligence | ||||
| Creative Synthesis | ||||
| Ethical Decision Making | ||||
| Physical Dexterity | ||||
| Relationship Cultivation | ||||
| Strategic Contextual Judgment |
Rating Scale:
- Novice: Limited experience, requires significant guidance
- Advanced Beginner: Can perform with some supervision
- Competent: Can perform independently in most situations
- Proficient: Deep understanding, can mentor others
- Expert: Recognized authority, sets standards in the field
Development Priority: Focus on skills with the largest gaps where future demand is highest (scores of 4-5). These represent your biggest career vulnerability but also your greatest opportunity for differentiation. The combination of high future demand and low current capability creates urgency. Skills where you're already strong (current level 4-5) become your foundation, while large gaps in high-demand areas are your immediate development targets.
Step 6: Create Your 3-Year Career Pivot Plan
Time: 45 minutes
Based on your WARS score and skills gap analysis, map out a concrete action plan.
Year 1: Foundation Building
Goal: Reduce dependency on high-exposure tasks while building AI-resistant capabilities
Q1 Milestones:
- Complete baseline skills assessment in all seven AI-resistant categories
- Identify one mentor with strong expertise in your highest-gap skill area
- Delegate or automate 10% of high-exposure tasks (free up time for skill development)
- Enroll in one foundational course or certification in target skill area
Q2 Milestones:
- Shadow a colleague who excels in your target AI-resistant skill for 10 hours
- Take on one small project that exercises your target skill (even if it's a stretch)
- Implement AI tools for 2-3 high-exposure tasks to understand their capabilities
- Document lessons learned: What can AI do well? What does it miss?
Q3 Milestones:
- Lead a team initiative that requires significant emotional/social intelligence
- Present a strategic recommendation that demonstrates contextual judgment
- Increase time allocation to low-exposure tasks by 15%
- Seek feedback from stakeholders on your development in target skill
Q4 Milestones:
- Achieve measurable progress in target skill (advance from level 2 to 3, or 3 to 4)
- Build a portfolio artifact demonstrating new capability
- Expand professional network in AI-resistant domain by 20 new connections
- Reassess WARS score: Has your risk profile improved?
Measurable Outcomes:
- WARS score reduced by 0.5-1.0 points
- Target AI-resistant skill level increased by 1 point
- 15-20% of work time reallocated to low-exposure tasks
- Two documented projects showcasing AI-resistant capabilities
Year 2: Strategic Repositioning
Goal: Establish reputation in AI-resistant domain while continuing to offload high-exposure work
Q1 Milestones:
- Publish thought leadership content (blog post, LinkedIn article, internal case study) on AI-resistant skill
- Volunteer for cross-functional project requiring advanced problem-solving or stakeholder management
- Implement AI automation for 3-4 additional high-exposure tasks
- Begin mentoring one junior colleague in your developing AI-resistant expertise
Q2 Milestones:
- Speak at one internal or external event about your area of AI-resistant expertise
- Take on a stretch assignment that positions you as go-to person for complex, ambiguous challenges
- Increase time allocation to low-exposure tasks by additional 10% (total 25-30% shift)
- Conduct informational interviews with 5-10 professionals in roles with lower automation risk
Q3 Milestones:
- Lead a high-stakes project that showcases your AI-resistant capabilities
- Develop a signature framework or methodology in your target skill area
- Build case studies: 2-3 examples where your human judgment created value AI couldn't
- Expand network into adjacent roles and industries with lower WARS scores
Q4 Milestones:
- Receive recognition (award, promotion, expanded responsibilities) for AI-resistant contributions
- Achieve advanced proficiency (level 4) in primary target skill
- Reassess career trajectory: Are you on path to a role with WARS < 5.0?
- Update professional brand (resume, LinkedIn, portfolio) to emphasize AI-resistant value
Measurable Outcomes:
- WARS score reduced by additional 1.0-1.5 points (total reduction: 1.5-2.5 from baseline)
- Primary AI-resistant skill at level 4, secondary skill at level 3
- 25-30% of work time in low-exposure tasks
- Established reputation: 3+ people would recommend you for AI-resistant work
Year 3: Role Transformation
Goal: Transition to a role/specialization with WARS < 5.0 and future-proof career trajectory
Q1 Milestones:
- Formally propose role evolution to manager: Shift responsibilities toward AI-resistant work
- Identify internal role opportunities with lower automation risk
- Build business case: How does your AI-resistant expertise create strategic value?
- Apply for 2-3 positions (internal or external) aligned with target WARS score
Q2 Milestones:
- Secure new role, expanded responsibilities, or formal specialization with lower WARS
- If internal transition: Negotiate new job description emphasizing AI-resistant tasks
- If external move: Accept position in company/industry investing in human expertise
- Establish yourself quickly: Deliver early wins in new low-exposure capacity
Q3 Milestones:
- Build team or community of practice around AI-resistant skill domain
- Develop training or playbook to help others build similar capabilities
- Contribute to industry conversations: Publish, speak, advise on future of work in your domain
- Reassess WARS in new role: Confirm score is sustainably below 5.0
Q4 Milestones:
- Achieve recognition as subject matter expert in AI-resistant domain
- Mentor 2-3 others through similar career pivots
- Create passive income or side opportunities leveraging AI-resistant expertise
- Revisit 5-year vision: Are you positioned for long-term career resilience?
Measurable Outcomes:
- WARS score < 5.0 in current role
- Two AI-resistant skills at level 4+, one at level 5
- 50%+ of work time in low-exposure, high-value tasks
- Documented expertise: Speaking engagements, publications, mentorship, thought leadership
Accountability Mechanisms: Share this plan with a mentor, coach, or accountability partner who will check in quarterly on your progress. Set calendar reminders for monthly self-assessment and quarterly plan reviews. Track your WARS score every six months to measure trajectory. Join or create a peer group of professionals executing similar career pivots for mutual support and accountability. Document your progress in a career journal to maintain momentum and learn from setbacks. The plan only works if you commit to consistent execution and honest self-evaluation.