IntelligenceShow us your workflowBuyer’s guide · cost, capacity and cash
Start with the work, the systems and the cost of keeping it running. Use this open worksheet to test your assumptions before approving a project or comparing a proposal. No email required.
Your assumptions, visible
Estimate the one-time work to get the system operating, then the ongoing cost to keep it useful. Add software, usage, support and paid review. Model staff time separately, including exceptions and oversight. The worksheet below makes those assumptions visible so you can challenge the economics before committing to a project.
Internal setup: 0 hours, valued at $0. This existing staff effort is shown separately and is not added to cash outlay.
What changes a proposal
A useful quote ties its cost to a defined workflow, named systems, delivery responsibilities and acceptance tests. Ask what is included, which dependencies remain unverified and who pays to operate the result. A smaller price is only meaningful when the proposed scope and operating obligations are genuinely comparable.
| Cost area | Ask the provider | Evidence to request |
|---|---|---|
| Workflow definition | Which exact task starts and ends the project? | Steps, owner, exception examples and acceptance criteria. |
| System connections | What access is confirmed, and what depends on another vendor? | Connector or API validation; permissions; rate and licensing limits. |
| Data preparation | Who cleans, labels and approves source material? | A sample reviewed for quality, ownership and access. |
| Testing and launch | What happens with duplicates, missing records and failed requests? | A test set, named reviewer and recovery procedure. |
| Ongoing operation | What does monthly support cover, and what becomes a new project? | Usage assumptions, support scope and change process. |
| Exit and ownership | Can we move the system or bring support in-house? | Account ownership, export options, documentation and handoff terms. |
Avoid a misleading business case
Recovered hours become cash savings only when they reduce spending that would otherwise occur. A salaried employee finishing administration faster may gain time for customers, quality or growth while payroll stays the same. Keep that capacity benefit separate from removed contractor fees, reduced overtime or another documented change in expenditure.
Capacity: a coordinator can handle more requests within the same working week. That may be valuable, but the worksheet does not treat it as money returned to the budget.
Cash: a recurring outsourced processing fee is actually removed, while new operating costs are counted. Enter the documented avoided fee, without adding the monetary value of the same work again.
Revenue: more capacity might support additional sales. Model that separately with demand, close rate, delivery cost and a measured period; it is not assumed here.
Turn assumptions into evidence
Measure a representative sample of the current workflow, then test the proposed process against normal and difficult cases. Track hands-on time, completed work, exceptions, review effort and new operating charges. Record when the sample was taken and what it excluded so a temporary pilot result does not become an unsupported forecast.
Before we begin
No. The worksheet starts at zero, and its optional example uses synthetic assumptions to demonstrate the math. An Aule quote depends on the agreed workflow, integrations, access, acceptance tests and support scope.
Because recovered staff time and cash are different. Payback requires documented avoided spending to exceed new monthly costs. The model deliberately excludes capacity value from that calculation.
Entries stay in this page’s state and clear when you refresh or leave. The download is generated in your browser. Using the worksheet does not submit a lead or send its values to Aule.
The proposed process uses more staff time under your assumptions. Check review, exception and oversight effort, then reconsider the design. Do not hide that result by counting only the automated steps.
No. It is a simple constant-volume, steady-state planning model. Ramp-up timing, revenue changes, financing, taxes and the time value of money require a separate analysis.
Find the right starting point
Define delivery scope with AI implementation, business process automation or systems integration. For an agent inside Microsoft’s tools, explore Copilot Studio consulting.
Still choosing the approach? Read build vs. buy automation. Use Find Your AI Opportunity to choose the work, then Plan Your AI System to create the build brief.
A practical first conversation
Bring your assumptions and the workflow behind them. We can inspect the required connections, ownership, test cases and operating costs, then define a scope your team can evaluate. A useful first conversation starts with an example of the work and a clear decision you need to make.
Discuss the scope behind your numbers