Recommendation · validate before rollout
Validate value in a pilot.
Expand when the evidence supports it.
Proceed with the planned 12-user pilot before committing to 60 users. The planning estimate yields $33,622 in Year 1 net economic benefit and 30.3% ROI; the conservative case is negative. Rollout depends on accepted quality, usable capacity and a refreshed investment case.
$144,442 in estimated capacity value less $110,820 in economic cost. Assumes 35% less preparation time, 70% adoption and 100% productive use of released time. Benefits remain subject to pilot validation.
Returns depend on adoption and usable time
Year 1 · 1 Dec 2026–30 Nov 2027 · USD before tax
| Measure | Planning estimate | Conservative estimate |
|---|---|---|
| Time reduction / steady-state adoption | 35% / 70% | 20% / 50% |
| Productive use of released time | 100% | 75% |
| Year 1 released hours | 1,699 h | 694 h |
| Year 1 capacity value · non-cash | $144,442 | $44,217 |
| Steady-state annual capacity value | $203,918/yr | $62,424/yr |
| Year 1 net economic benefit / ROI | +$33,622 / 30.3% | −$66,603 / −60.1% |
Baseline: 816 eligible preparation hours/month across the 60-user scope, with no overlap between the three work categories. Both cases apply the same benefit ramp and $85/hour staff-cost basis; savings factors apply once. Steady-state annual value excludes the ramp. No cash savings or additional economic overlap are evidenced; both are modeled at $0.
First-year cost ledger · before tax
$69,600 subscription + support; $9,600 implementation
96 setup h + 180 training h + 8 admin h/month, at $85/h
Vendor fees plus valued internal effort
$14,180 below the $125,000 evaluation ceiling before tax. Additional usage, integration or migration charges require separate costing; budget headroom does not establish investment approval.
Benefits ramp after implementation
Planning assumption: 1 Dec start, six-week implementation, no benefit in months 1–2, then 25% / 50% / 75% / 100% of steady-state benefit. Update the ramp to reflect measured readiness and expected rollout adoption.
Rollout decision: Jonah and Rachel validate ten pilot work packages, counting failed tasks and review effort and checking accuracy, source traceability and editable outputs. Elena and Victor assess adoption and productive use, then refresh the model. Expand when quality is accepted, the refreshed economic case is positive and security, contract and budget approvals are recorded; otherwise revise scope or extend validation.