Is this automation worth doing?

YOUR ESTIMATEAdjust the inputs to match one real process

Current employee hours each weekLoaded hourly labor cost ($)Expected time reduction (%)One-time implementation cost ($)Monthly technology cost ($)Calculate estimate

Current annual process cost$18,200

Estimated future labor effort$9,100

Annual capacity value$9,100

First-year net capacity value$5,500

Estimated payback4.2 months

These are planning estimates. Recovered time becomes cash savings only if spending actually falls. It may instead create capacity for more or better work.

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Use one workflow at a time. Estimate current employee hours per week, loaded hourly cost, the percentage of time the change could remove, one-time implementation cost, and monthly technology cost.

How the estimate works

Current annual process cost = weekly hours × 52 × loaded hourly cost. Annual capacity value = current annual cost × expected time reduction. Estimated future labor effort is the remaining hours at the same cost. First-year net benefit subtracts implementation and twelve months of technology cost from capacity value. Payback compares the one-time cost with monthly net capacity value after technology cost.

Important: The output is an estimate of capacity value, not guaranteed cash savings or revenue. The result excludes training, maintenance, error handling, and the value of work the team does with recovered time. Include those when making a real decision. If the process itself is broken, fix the process first.

See what to automate first or how much automation costs for context.

Last updated 2026-10-11