Resources/Lead-generation asset
Free Calculator

Data and AI ROI Calculator

A guided worksheet for building a credible, defensible ROI case for a data or AI initiative — before you ask for budget.

Format
Calculator (Sheet)
Time
30 minutes
Best for
Leaders building a business case
The problem

Most data and AI business cases don't survive scrutiny.

They either wildly overstate value to win approval, or skip the ROI conversation entirely and hope the results speak for themselves later. Both approaches erode trust with the people who hold the budget.

Benefit estimates are optimistic guesses with no shown work

Costs only include the visible ones — not change management or maintenance

No consistent way to compare one initiative's ROI case to another's

What's inside

Every input shown, every assumption logged.

A guided worksheet that builds your ROI case line by line, with every assumption visible and adjustable.

Cost Inputs

Build, run, and change-management costs, guided line by line.

Benefit Categories

Revenue, cost savings, risk reduction, and speed, scored separately.

Confidence Weighting

Adjusting benefit estimates by how certain you actually are.

Payback & ROI Outputs

Automatic payback period and ROI calculation from your inputs.

Assumptions Log

A transparent record of where every number came from.

Sample calculationIllustrative example
Build cost$—
Annual run cost$—
Change management cost$—
Estimated annual benefit$—
Confidence weighting0–100%
Estimated ROI
—%
Payback Period
— mo
Who it's for

Built for the people who own this problem

Data & AI Leaders

Requesting budget for a new initiative and needing a credible case.

Finance Partners

Evaluating data investment requests against a consistent standard.

PMO / Transformation Offices

Comparing ROI cases across a portfolio of competing initiatives.

Fractional CDOs

Building the business case for a client's next investment.

How to use it

Three steps to put it to work

Step 01

Fill in your costs

Work through build, run, and change-management costs by category.

Step 02

Estimate your benefits

Use the confidence-weighting guide to keep benefit estimates honest.

Step 03

Use the outputs

Take the automatic ROI and payback figures straight into your business case.

Build a defensible ROI case before you ask for budget.

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