Scenario
The setup for this example.
An operations team reviews 450 items per workday. Each review takes about 2.5 minutes, reviewers cost $32 per loaded hour, and QA adds 15% overhead. The team is considering automation that covers 60% of reviews, costs $1,800 per month, and takes $8,000 to implement.
Inputs
The numbers used in the worked example.
Manual Review Cost Example
manual review cost example
| Input | Value | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Reviews per day | 450 | |
| Workdays per month | 22 | |
| Minutes per review | 2.5 | |
| Loaded hourly cost | $32 | |
| QA overhead | 15% | |
| Automation coverage | 60% | |
| Automation monthly cost | $1,800 | |
| Implementation cost | $8,000 |
Manual review cost formula
Formula
450 reviews/day * 22 days * 2.5 minutes / 60 * 1.15 * $32 = $15,180/month
Automation savings are modeled as the covered share of current cost minus ongoing automation cost.
Result
What the example produces.
Monthly reviews9,900
Loaded review hours474.4 hours
Current monthly cost$15,180
Gross savings at 60% coverage$9,108
Net monthly savings$7,308
Simple paybackAbout 1.1 months
Interpretation
How to read this result.
- The queue is large enough that small changes in review time or coverage rate materially change the savings estimate.
- The result is a reason to inspect workflow quality, escalation rules, and automation risk, not an automatic approval to buy software.
- If the coverage assumption falls below 25% or the tool creates extra rework, the payback can stretch quickly.
Next step
Run the same workflow with your own assumptions.
- Run the manual review cost calculator with your actual queue volume and hourly cost.
- Use the automation ROI calculator to add maintenance time, error reduction, and setup work.
- Use the vendor comparison calculator if more than one automation option is realistic.
This is a worked example, not a recommendation. Real results can change with contracts, workflow quality, taxes, staffing, vendor terms, and data quality.