ROI Calculator
Build vs SYaaS vs Do Nothing
A rough 12-month estimate to pressure-test your next AI move. Compare a bespoke 444 system, a hosted 444 SYaaS system, or leaving the workflow as it is. Adjust the inputs on the left; results update live on the right.
What this calculator does
It turns your current workflow pain into a 12-month financial picture. You will see whether a bespoke build, a 444 SYaaS system, or doing nothing is likely to cost or save you most.
What you get
A clear winner, a payback estimate, and a downloadable summary you can share with a CFO, operations lead, or business partner before committing to anything.
What to do next
Use the result to decide whether to take the 444 diagnostic or book a Systems Opportunity Call. The calculator is the first cut; the diagnostic is the detailed filter.
Your baseline pain
Start with what the workflow costs you today in people, time, and mistakes.
Build (bespoke 444 system)
Estimate the cost and automation of a workflow built specifically for your process.
SYaaS (444 hosted system)
Estimate the cost and automation of a ready-made system from the 444 ecosystem, hosted for you with implementation support.
Do nothing
Estimate how much the status quo costs as inefficiency quietly compounds.
Doing nothing is never neutral — the pain compounds while your competitors move.
What this means for you
A bespoke 444 system is projected to deliver the best 12-month net. That usually makes sense when your process is specific, the data is messy, or a hosted template cannot match your workflow closely enough. Next step: confirm the assumptions with a 444 diagnostic before committing to a build.
How these figures are calculated
- Baseline annual pain = weekly hours × 52 × loaded hourly cost + monthly error cost × 12.
- Build savings = baseline pain × automation % × active months ÷ 12. Active months are reduced by the weeks-to-value ramp.
- Build cost = one-off investment + (runtime cost × 12).
- SYaaS savings = baseline pain × automation %.
- SYaaS cost = setup/onboarding + (monthly fee × 12).
- Do Nothing cost = baseline pain + (baseline pain × drift %).
- Net (yr 1) = 12-month savings − 12-month cost. Payback = months until cumulative savings exceed the upfront spend.
Worked example: how the numbers are produced
A mid-sized team runs a repetitive back-office workflow. Here is how the calculator turns their inputs into a 12-month Build vs. SYaaS vs. Do Nothing picture, step by step.
- 4 people affected, 6 hours/week each, £55 loaded hourly cost
- £1,200/month in errors and rework
- Build: £12,600 investment, £175/month runtime, 6 weeks to value, 70% automation
- SYaaS: £420 setup, £175/month fee, 45% automation
- Do Nothing: 8% annual drift (pain grows if untouched)
- Weekly hours = 4 × 6 = 24 hours
- Annual labour = 24 × 52 × £55 = £68,640
- Annual errors = £1,200 × 12 = £14,400
- Baseline pain = £68,640 + £14,400 = £83,040/year
- Ramp = 6 weeks ÷ 4.33 ≈ 1.4 months; active period ≈ 10.6 months
- Savings = £83,040 × 70% × (10.6 / 12) ≈ £51,400
- Cost = £12,600 + (£175 × 12) = £14,700
- Net (yr 1) ≈ £51,400 − £14,700 = £36,700
- Payback ≈ £12,600 ÷ (£51,400 / 10.6) ≈ 2.6 months
- Savings = £83,040 × 45% ≈ £37,368
- Cost = £420 + (£175 × 12) = £2,520
- Net (yr 1) ≈ £37,368 − £2,520 = £34,848
- Payback ≈ £420 ÷ (£37,368 / 12) ≈ 0.1 months
- Drift = £83,040 × 8% ≈ £6,640
- Total 12-mo cost = £83,040 + £6,640 ≈ £89,680
- Net (yr 1) ≈ −£89,680 (pure cost, no offset)
SYaaS wins on payback (~0.1 months) in this example, because the setup is small and the monthly fee is fixed. Build edges ahead on year-one net (~£36,700 vs ~£34,848) and makes sense if the workflow needs tailoring that a template cannot provide. Do Nothing costs nearly £90k. The right move depends on how standard the workflow is — which is exactly what the 444 diagnostic pressure-tests before you commit.
Use this result
Download the summary to share with your team, or move straight into the 444 diagnostic to pressure-test the assumptions behind these numbers.
Estimates only. Real payback depends on workflow fit, adoption, and data quality — exactly what the 444 diagnostic pressure-tests.