Automation investment return.

RPA (Robotic Process Automation) automates repetitive digital tasks: data entry, invoice processing, report generation. ROI comes from labour hours saved and error reduction. Typical RPA implementations save 20-40% of staff time on automated processes. Combined with fewer data-entry errors (typically 30-50% reduction), ROI is usually clear within 12-18 months.

80k/year RPA platform + development. Automates 2,000 hours at 30/hour = 60k labour savings. 20k error reduction savings. Annual benefit 80k vs 80k cost = break-even year 1. Year 2-3 at same benefit with maintenance-only cost (~40k) delivers strong positive ROI of 100% over 3 years.

Common RPA failure: automating broken processes. If the manual process is flawed, automating it at speed creates errors at scale. Fix the process first, then automate. Also watch for bot maintenance - RPA bots break when underlying systems change (UI updates, API changes). Budget 15-25% of implementation cost annually for bot maintenance.

Quick example

With rpa annual cost of 80,000 and fte hours automated/year of 2,000 (plus fte hourly cost of 30 and error savings annual of 20,000), the result is 0.00%. Change any figure and watch the output shift — it's often more useful to see the pattern than to memorise the formula.

Which inputs matter most

You enter RPA Annual Cost, FTE Hours Automated/Year, FTE Hourly Cost, Error Savings Annual, and Analysis Years. Not every input has equal weight. Flip one at a time toward extreme values to feel which ones move the needle most for your situation.

What's happening under the hood

Labour savings = hours × cost. Total benefit = labour + errors. ROI = (benefit × years - cost × years) ÷ (cost × years) × 100. The formula is listed in full below. If the number looks off, you can retrace the calculation by hand — that's the point of showing the working.

What the score tells you

Headline financial numbers — income, savings, debt — each tell part of the story. This calculation stitches several together into a single read you can track over time. The value is in the direction, not the absolute number.

What this doesn't capture

The score is a composite of the inputs you provide. Life context — job security, family obligations, health, housing — doesn't appear in the math but shapes the real picture. Use the number as a prompt, not a verdict.