Interactive tool · free
Automation opportunity calculator
Work out how many hours a repetitive task takes each month, and whether it is worth automating, and how.
Private by design Your answers are processed in your browser only. They are not sent to an AI model, not stored, and never put into a link.
What the tool does
Before you buy an automation tool or build an AI agent, find out what the task actually costs you. The calculator asks how often the task happens, how long it takes and how many people do it, then works out the hours per month and per year, and an approximate cost if you enter an hourly rate.
It then looks at the nature of the work: are the steps fixed, is the input structured, what does a mistake cost, is the process written down? From your answers it suggests one of five directions, with the reason, the next step and what to watch out for. Sometimes the right answer is to keep the task manual, or to sort out the process before any tool.
Who it's for
- Small business owners who suspect their team loses time to repetitive work.
- Operations and marketing managers who need a clear number before asking for an automation budget.
- Associations and small teams who want to know where to start without a technical background.
How to use it
- Pick one specific task, such as "entering customer orders into the spreadsheet", not a whole department.
- Enter how often it happens, how long it takes and how many people do it, using honest rough numbers.
- Answer the questions about the work as it is today, not as you would like it to be.
- Read the suggested direction, then map the task's steps in the workflow mapper before choosing any tool.
Privacy
The tool is structured logic running in your page: rules, questions and decision tables I wrote myself, not an AI model. Nothing you type leaves your device; the only thing recorded is that the tool was used, with no content.
The numbers are estimates based on what you enter and exclude setup, maintenance and tool costs. The direction is a starting point for discussion, not a purchase decision or a feasibility study. To measure what an AI trial saves after review time, use the AI time and value calculator.