When does automation pay off?
The short answer
Pays off
Automation pays off when a workflow recurs often, is clearly described and currently costs time or errors.
Not yetA
Before that it does not: a workflow nobody has written down only becomes wrong faster once it is automated.
Payback grid
Months until the build has paid for itselfB
| 2 Min | 5 Min | 10 Min | 15 Min | 30 Min | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 Runs | never not yet99 not yetnever not yet60 not yetnever not yet38 not yet | never not yet40 not yetnever not yet24 not yetnever not yet15 not yet | never not yet20 not yetnever not yet12 pays offnever not yet8 pays off | 66 not yet14 not yet40 not yet8 pays off25 not yet5 pays off | 11 pays off7 pays off7 pays off4 pays off5 pays off3 pays off |
| 10 Runs | never not yet50 not yetnever not yet30 not yetnever not yet19 not yet | never not yet20 not yetnever not yet12 pays offnever not yet8 pays off | 25 not yet10 pays off15 not yet6 pays off10 pays off4 pays off | 11 pays off7 pays off7 pays off4 pays off5 pays off3 pays off | 5 pays off4 pays off3 pays off2 pays off2 pays off2 pays off |
| 20 Runs | never not yet25 not yetnever not yet15 not yetnever not yet10 pays off | 25 not yet10 pays off15 not yet6 pays off10 pays off4 pays off | 8 pays off5 pays off5 pays off3 pays off3 pays off2 pays off | 5 pays off4 pays off3 pays off2 pays off2 pays off2 pays off | 2 pays off2 pays off2 pays off1 pays off1 pays off1 pays off |
| 50 Runs | 25 not yet10 pays off15 not yet6 pays off10 pays off4 pays off | 6 pays off4 pays off4 pays off3 pays off2 pays off2 pays off | 3 pays off2 pays off2 pays off2 pays off1 pays off1 pays off | 2 pays off2 pays off1 pays off1 pays off1 pays off1 pays off | 1 pays off1 pays off1 pays off1 pays off1 pays off1 pays off |
| 100 Runs | 8 pays off5 pays off5 pays off3 pays off3 pays off2 pays off | 3 pays off2 pays off2 pays off2 pays off1 pays off1 pays off | 2 pays off1 pays off1 pays off1 pays off1 pays off1 pays off | 1 pays off1 pays off1 pays off1 pays off1 pays off1 pays off | 1 pays off1 pays off1 pays off1 pays off1 pays off1 pays off |
Only time is counted. Errors avoided add to the saving and shorten the months. Never means: the oversight takes more time than the workflow saves.
Notes on the grid
- A
Write it down before automating it
A workflow that runs slightly differently by hand every time has no rule to encode. Writing it down is the part of the work that produces the value. The implementation afterwards is the smaller step.
More on Process Automation
- B
The arithmetic is simple
Frequency times time spent times cost of errors on one side, one-off implementation plus ongoing operation on the other. What does not pay for itself within a year waits.
Worked example
20 runs × 15 min = 5.0 h a month
(5.0 h − 1 h operation) × €50 an hour = €200 a month
€495 ÷ €200 = 2.5 months, the grid rounds up to 3
More on Services
- C
Operations are part of automation
Automation without monitoring is a silent outage. Whoever introduces it needs something that notices when it stops and somebody who starts it again.
Tier 1 includes
One automated flow between two tools (n8n, Python or an API), with an alert if something breaks.
The tiers are one-off prices with no monthly fee. The oversight that follows is not part of them.
More on Workflow Automation
Common questions
What gets automated first?
The workflow with the highest repetition and the clearest rule, not the one that is most annoying.
More on Payback grid
Does automation always need custom software?
Often not. Many workflows can be connected through existing systems and their interfaces before anything custom is needed.
More on APIs & integrations
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