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Key takeaways
- Compare the current cost of a task with the cost after automation, including review time, exceptions, running costs and setup.
- Hours released are capacity; they become cash savings only if spending actually changes.
- Stress-test the case with lower volume and more review work, then replace estimates with pilot data.
To estimate workflow automation ROI, compare the current cost of completing a defined task with the expected cost after automation. Include review time, exceptions, software usage, monitoring and implementation. Calculate time capacity separately from cash savings so the business case does not treat every saved hour as money removed from the payroll.
What information do you need?
Choose a representative month and record task volume, average handling time and the hourly cost used for the estimate. Then estimate the remaining human work after automation and the recurring costs of operating it.
| Input | What it should include |
|---|---|
| Monthly task volume | Comparable tasks within the agreed process |
| Current minutes per task | Active handling time, measured across representative cases |
| Remaining minutes per task | Human checking or handling still required |
| Extra monthly review hours | Exceptions and supervision outside the per-task estimate |
| Hourly cost | A documented planning assumption |
| Monthly running cost | Platforms, usage, hosting, monitoring and support |
| Implementation cost | Setup and the work needed to launch the agreed scope |
Avoid counting the same review work in both remaining minutes and extra review hours.
The calculation
Current hours per month = tasks x current minutes / 60.
Hours after automation = tasks x remaining minutes / 60 + extra review hours.
Hours released = current hours - hours after automation.
Monthly capacity value = hours released x hourly cost.
Net monthly capacity value = monthly capacity value - monthly running cost.
Simple payback in months = implementation cost / net monthly capacity value, provided that the net monthly value is positive.
For a first-year comparison that includes all costs:
First-year ROI = (12 x monthly capacity value - implementation cost - 12 x monthly running cost) / (implementation cost + 12 x monthly running cost).
Use a consistent cost definition throughout. This is a simple planning model; it does not model tax, financing or the timing of cash flows.
A worked example
The following numbers are hypothetical. They are not GOFTUS pricing or a client result.
Suppose a team completes 600 tasks a month. Each takes six minutes today. After automation, each needs two minutes of checking, plus ten hours a month for exceptions and supervision. The planning hourly cost is £20. Running costs are £120 a month, and implementation costs £1,800.
| Calculation | Result |
|---|---|
| Current work: 600 x 6 / 60 | 60 hours per month |
| Work after automation: 600 x 2 / 60 + 10 | 30 hours per month |
| Capacity released | 30 hours per month |
| Capacity value: 30 x £20 | £600 per month |
| Net capacity value: £600 - £120 | £480 per month |
| Simple payback: £1,800 / £480 | 3.75 months |
| First-year benefit | £7,200 |
| First-year cost: £1,800 + 12 x £120 | £3,240 |
| First-year ROI | About 122.2% |
If staff hours and expenditure remain unchanged, those thirty hours create capacity rather than an immediate £600 cash saving. The business still needs a plan for using that capacity.
Try it with your own numbers
ROI worksheet
Starts with the hypothetical example above. Change any input; the results update as you type. Nothing you enter leaves this page.
| Current work per month | 60 hours |
|---|---|
| Work after automation per month | 30 hours |
| Capacity released per month | 30 hours |
| Monthly capacity value | £600 |
| Net monthly capacity value | £480 |
| Simple payback | 3.75 months |
| First-year ROI | 122.2% |
Capacity value is time released, priced at your hourly assumption. It becomes a cash saving only if spending actually changes. This simple model ignores tax, financing and the timing of cash flows.
Test the weak assumptions
Recalculate with lower task volume, more review work and higher running costs. If the case depends on perfect extraction, zero failures or every saved hour generating revenue, it needs more evidence.
Do not count projected sales as a delivered benefit. Measure attributable commercial outcomes separately after launch.
Replace estimates with pilot results
Log task volume, handling time, review time, exceptions, running costs and completed outcomes. Compare similar work before and after the pilot. Retain the assumptions so someone else can reproduce the calculation.
GOFTUS can help define a measurable automation pilot. Discuss the task you want to assess before expanding the project.
Frequently asked questions
First-year ROI = (12 x monthly capacity value - implementation cost - 12 x monthly running cost) / (implementation cost + 12 x monthly running cost), where monthly capacity value is hours released multiplied by the hourly cost.