What it calculates
The calculator estimates annual manual hours from frequency, time per occurrence, and people involved. When salary is provided, it estimates labor value using an annualized hourly cost. You can adjust the share of work that may realistically be automated, then include implementation and maintenance costs to estimate first-year ROI and payback.
How to interpret the estimate
Potential labor value represents capacity that could be redirected to higher-value work. It is not automatically a reduction in headcount or cash expense. Actual results depend on adoption, process changes, exception handling, data quality, and implementation quality.
When not to automate
A process with low annual burden, unclear steps, or high judgment requirements may not justify automation. Standardization or better reporting may create a stronger return than a larger AI project.