Task-to-Outcome Map
Practicum for Chapter 6, "The Human as a System." Version: 2026-06-11. Time: 40 to 60 minutes. Use real tasks from your last working week, not your job description.
Goal: See where your time goes to output that is getting cheaper, and where it goes to work that is becoming more valuable. This is the starting point for building your personal harness.
Step 1. Choose three tasks
Pick three tasks from your last working week. Do not choose the most enjoyable or the hardest ones. Choose the most typical, the tasks that keep coming back.
Be specific:
- "wrote the monthly portfolio report"
- "prepared a proposal for Client X"
- "reviewed a contract with a vendor"
- "made a presentation for the board"
- "answered support requests"
Do not write something broad such as "worked on the project" or "handled customers."
Task 1: ______________________________________________
Task 2: ______________________________________________
Task 3: ______________________________________________
Step 2. Seven questions for each task
Complete the table for each of the three tasks. You can start with one. It takes about 15 minutes.
Task 1: _____________
| # | Question | Your answer |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | What do I do? List the physical steps you take to complete this task | |
| 2 | Why is it needed? What should change for the person who asked for it, such as a manager, customer, or colleague? | |
| 3 | What can AI do? Which parts of item 1 can AI already do, or do faster or at a lower cost? | |
| 4 | Where is a human needed? Where would an AI error be expensive? Where do judgment, trust, or responsibility matter? | |
| 5 | How can I measure the value? What changed for the person who requested the task after my work? | |
| 6 | What should I stop doing? Which actions from item 1 are getting cheaper and no longer need my effort? | |
| 7 | Where can I move up? Which role or level could I take in this task if item 6 freed some time? |
Task 2: _____________
| # | Question | Your answer |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | What do I do? | |
| 2 | Why is it needed? | |
| 3 | What can AI do? | |
| 4 | Where is a human needed? | |
| 5 | How can I measure the value? | |
| 6 | What should I stop doing? | |
| 7 | Where can I move up? |
Task 3: _____________
| # | Question | Your answer |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | What do I do? | |
| 2 | Why is it needed? | |
| 3 | What can AI do? | |
| 4 | Where is a human needed? | |
| 5 | How can I measure the value? | |
| 6 | What should I stop doing? | |
| 7 | Where can I move up? |
Step 3. Read the whole map
Look at the three completed sections together. Answer these questions.
What share of your week goes to the tasks in item 3, "What can AI do?"
_____%
More than 50% was normal in 2025 and 2026. This is not a failure. It shows where to start.
Where is your verification point? Across item 4 in all three tasks, which AI error would cost the most?
______________________________________________
Your harness needs the strongest controls at that point. Your expertise is also most valuable there.
Which single move from item 7 would create the most value next quarter?
______________________________________________
Example: an analyst at an insurance company from Chapter 6
Task: "Monthly report on portfolio loss ratio."
| # | Question | Answer |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | What do I do? | Collect data from three systems, build summary tables, and explain the numbers |
| 2 | Why? | Management uses the report to make pricing and segment decisions |
| 3 | What can AI do? | Assemble the report from a template, explain standard patterns, and format its structure |
| 4 | Where is a human needed? | Account for the past week's regulatory context, tell an artifact from a trend, and take responsibility for the recommendation |
| 5 | How can I measure it? | Whether management makes decisions from the report and how accurate the forecasts are |
| 6 | What should I stop doing? | Rebuilding data by hand, reformatting tables, and writing standard explanations |
| 7 | Where can I move up? | Move from "report compiler" to "analyst who frames the question that matters now" |
What the example shows: The analyst spent 75% of the time on item 1, collecting data, and item 3, writing standard explanations. The real value was in items 4 and 5. Automating item 6 created time for that work.
Next
After you complete the Task-to-Outcome Map, continue with the Personal Harness Builder. It will show which harness layer to build first.