Question
Clearly sourced
Expert knowledge for digital decisions
How to measure the benefits of automation?
Short answer
Before implementation, collect a baseline: how many processes, how much time per process, how many errors. Without this baseline, nothing can be proven later. After implementation, measure the same values again – and additionally, how often a person had to intervene.
Four Numbers That Matter
| Metric | How to Measure |
|---|---|
| Number of Processes per Period | Count before and after implementation |
| Processing Time per Process | A sample of twenty processes is sufficient |
| Error Rate | Proportion of processes that required correction |
| Intervention Rate | How often a person had to take over |
The fourth number is most often forgotten and is the most informative. A system where someone intervenes in 60 percent of cases does not save time – it only shifts it.
The Baseline Is Mandatory
Without measurement before implementation, any later statements remain claims. This measurement takes half a day and determines whether the project can be proven later.
Honest Accounting
The cost side includes not only development and operation, but also:
- Time for reviewing doubtful cases
- Effort for maintaining the knowledge base
- Team onboarding
An automation that handles 80 percent of cases but creates more review effort for the remaining 20 percent than before is a loss.
A Suitable Time for Evaluation
After eight to twelve weeks of productive use. Earlier, the novelty effect dominates, later the memory of the previous state fades.
Key facts
- Most Important Metric
- Intervention rate – how often a person has to take over
- Mandatory Before Implementation
- Measure the baseline
- Evaluation After
- 8 to 12 weeks of productive use
Sources
All external claims are backed by traceable sources.-
01
Artificial Intelligence Risk Management Framework: Generative AI Profile National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
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02
Artificial Intelligence Risk Management Framework (AI RMF 1.0) National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)