Description
Automating a task and proving it saved money are two different projects
It’s easy to automate a workflow and simply assume it’s paying off. It’s harder to say by how much — because nobody wrote down how long the manual version used to take.
This kit starts with that manual baseline, then logs every automated run against it, so the savings — and the payback period on whatever the automation cost to set up — calculate themselves.
What you get
1. A 10-sheet Excel workbook
- Start Here — how the sheets connect
- Automation Workflow Log — every automated workflow, its setup cost, and its status
- Manual Process Baseline — how long the manual version used to take, and at what hourly rate
- Automation Run Log — every automated run, with time saved calculated automatically
- Savings by Workflow — total hours and dollars saved, per workflow
- Cost vs Savings by Workflow — monthly platform cost against savings generated, per workflow
- Setup Cost Payback — how many months until a workflow’s setup cost pays for itself
- Monthly Savings Trend — total savings trend by month, with a chart
- Workflow Lookup — type a workflow, see its full savings record instantly
- Dashboard — total monthly cost, total hours and dollars saved, and your best-payback workflow, live
2. An 11-page companion guide (PDF)
How to set an honest manual-process baseline before you automate anything, how to read a setup-cost payback period, what the Monthly Savings Trend reveals about which workflows to automate next, and a short monthly automation review routine.
3. A Notion template
An importable Notion workspace mirroring the key tracking tables, with a quick-reference section and a next-actions checklist.
Built for
- Operations teams who’ve automated several workflows but never quantified the payoff
- Anyone deciding whether a new automation tool’s setup cost is actually worth it
- Teams reporting automation wins to leadership with a real number instead of an impression
- Founders choosing which manual process to automate next, based on the biggest proven savings
What’s in the file
- 1 x Excel workbook (.xlsx) — formulas live and editable
- 1 x PDF companion guide, 11 pages
- 1 x Notion import file (Markdown) — key tables ready to import
- Delivered as a single ZIP, available immediately after payment
Compatibility
Microsoft Excel 2016 and later, Microsoft 365, Google Sheets, and LibreOffice Calc. Works with any AI tool, any team structure, and any naming convention — you enter your own data rather than being locked into a fixed list of vendors or categories.
This is a planning and organization tool. It does not constitute tax, accounting, legal, or financial advice. Results depend on the accuracy of the figures you enter.
Frequently asked questions
Does this build the automations for me?
No — it’s a tracking and ROI tool for automations you’ve already set up, not a workflow builder.
What if a workflow hasn’t launched yet?
Log it as ‘Planned’ in the Automation Workflow Log — every summary sheet and the Dashboard skip workflows with no run data yet, so nothing breaks.
How many workflows can I track?
The log ships with room for 20 workflows — copy a row down to add more.
Will this work in Google Sheets?
Yes. Upload to Google Drive and open with Google Sheets — formulas, dropdowns, and the chart all carry over.
How is time saved calculated per run?
Each run’s volume multiplied by the per-unit manual time from your baseline, converted to hours and then to a dollar value at your set hourly rate — fully shown in the workbook, nothing hidden.
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