Automation measurement guide
A useful automation project should improve a real operating outcome after implementation and ongoing costs are counted—not merely produce an impressive demonstration.
TWISTED SAGUARO OPERATIONSAutomation measurement guide
Baseline
Complete cost
Include discovery, implementation, integration, usage, testing, training, monitoring, exception handling, maintenance and the time staff spend owning the new workflow.
Balanced scorecard
Hours returned to staff or volunteers for higher-value work.
Faster acknowledgement, routing or completion without unsupported promises.
Fewer missed handoffs, duplicate records, errors or unanswered routine questions.
Correct escalation, privacy controls and human approval for consequential actions.
Practical answers
Compare measurable operational benefit with implementation and ongoing cost over the same period, while tracking quality, exceptions and risk controls.
Capacity, response time, reliability, staff experience and reduced risk can be legitimate outcomes when they are defined and measured consistently.
Long enough to include normal volume and common exceptions. Define the review period before launch rather than choosing it after seeing the result.
Measure operational value
Establish a baseline, include complete cost and compare the same measures after launch.