Workflow automation ROI calculator
Estimate a workflow's return.
Put rough numbers around one repeated process before you scope software or book a call.
Run the numbersRun the rough math.
Use a typical week. Conservative numbers are more useful than a business case built to win an argument.
Start with what happens today.
Enter four numbers. Use loaded cost and choose a time reduction you would defend internally.
What the calculator counts.
This is a first-pass payback estimate. A full ROI forecast also needs ongoing costs, adoption time and the value of fewer errors.
Monthly labour
people × weekly hours × loaded hourly cost × 4.33
The calculator uses 4.33 as the average number of weeks in a month.
Capacity returned
monthly labour × expected time reduction
This values redirected work. It does not assume payroll will fall.
Pilot payback
$5,000 ÷ monthly capacity returned
The pilot price is the published starting price, not a project quote.
Use numbers you can defend.
Recurring work
Use a process that happens every week. One-off projects make the monthly estimate look more reliable than it is.
A useful destination for the time
Name the work the team would do instead. Returned capacity matters only when someone can put it to use.
A person still in control
Keep approvals and high-risk decisions with the team. Estimate the routine work a tool can remove around them.
Treat the result as a filter. If the economics only work with optimistic inputs, the workflow is probably not a good first automation project.
Send me one workflow that wastes time every week.
A rough description is enough. I'll reply within one business day and tell you whether I think a 30-day pilot makes sense.
Typical reply: one business day.