How the tool works out your numbers
It multiplies three things you tell it: how many people do the job, how many hours each one spends on it a day, and the cost of one hour. It counts 21.7 workdays a month. That is the average for a five-day week.
Each answer is a range, so the tool picks one number inside it. The table shows the number it uses. Where a range has no top, it uses a number near the bottom. That keeps the total on the low side.
| Your answer | Number it uses |
|---|---|
| Just one person | 1 person |
| 2 people | 2 people |
| 3 to 5 people | 4 people |
| 6 or more people | 6 people |
| Less than 1 hour a day | 0.5 hours |
| 1 to 2 hours a day | 1.5 hours |
| 2 to 4 hours a day | 3 hours |
| More than 4 hours a day | 4.5 hours |
The fit score adds up four things. Steps that repeat count the most. Then come the hours, the number of sites or counties, and what happens when the work grows. The score runs from 0 to 100.
What counts as manual data work
Manual data work is any job where a person moves facts from one screen to another by hand. It is often the same few steps, done many times a day. Here are the four kinds the tool asks about.
- Looking up records. A person types a name into a county or court site, reads the result, and copies it out. Then the next name.
- Reading documents. A person opens a PDF or a scan, finds the name, address, or date, and types it into a sheet.
- Copying data. A person takes data from one tool and pastes it into another, field by field.
- Fixing formats. A person cleans up names, addresses, and dates so files from many places all match.
Which jobs are a good fit for automation
A job is a good fit when the steps repeat and the hours add up. It is a poor fit when every record needs a person to think, or when the work only happens on paper.
| Job | Good fit when | A person still helps when |
|---|---|---|
| Record lookups | Searches follow the same steps on each site | A name matches more than one record |
| Reading documents | The facts sit in about the same spot on each page | A page is too hard to read |
| Copying data | Each field always goes to the same place | A record is missing a field |
| Fixing formats | The rules for a clean record are clear | A record could mean two things |
How to cut the hours, with or without a build
- Write the steps down. A job that lives in one head is slow to hand off, to a new hire or to software.
- Count the real hours. Time the job for one week. Most teams guess low.
- Start with one source. Pick the busiest county or site first. It pays back the fastest.
- Keep a person on the hard cases. Let software do the steps that repeat. Send only the unclear records to a person.