Manual vs Automated Research Calculator Interactive Calculator
Your team already runs a project-discovery operation — it just runs on salaries, portal logins and travel budgets. Put the manual cost next to the automated one and see the gap.
By the analysts at Blackridge Research
Inputs
Results
What this means
Adjust the inputs to calculate.
About the Manual vs Automated Research Calculator
Your team already runs a project-discovery operation — it just runs on salaries, portal logins and travel budgets.
This calculator puts the manual cost next to the automated one and shows the gap.
This calculator compares manual discovery costs against automation, showing net savings and hours freed.
Formula
Net Savings = Automated Cost - Tracker Investment - P
- — People — doing discovery work
- DS
- — Discovery Share — percentage of time on discovery
- AS
- — Automatable Share — percentage replaceable
Manual cost combines the discovery share of fully-loaded people time with direct discovery spend. The automatable share moves to the tracker.
How to use this calculator
- 1
Price the manual system
People doing discovery, salaries, share of time, subscriptions and travel.
- 2
Set the automatable share
How much discovery work a continuously updated database absorbs — 60-85% typical.
- 3
Compare the columns
Manual cost vs cost with tracker, net savings, hours freed and savings multiple.
Example calculations
Manual vs automated comparison
Example 14 people, $75K salary, 40% discovery time, $12K subscriptions, $8K travel, 75% automatable.
- Manual Cost:
- $170K
- Net Savings:
- $107.5K
- Hours Freed:
- 2,496 hrs
Interpreting your results
Automation changes the shape of the spend. The scanning layer moves to a platform doing it continuously.
Need the market data behind this calculator?
The Manual vs Automated Research Calculator is only as good as its inputs. Blackridge Research publishes syndicated market reports with vetted market sizes, growth rates, and competitive landscapes across 40+ industries — and builds custom studies when the shelf report doesn't exist.
Industry applications
Business
- Operations: Compare manual vs automated discovery costs.
- Finance: Build the business case for automation.
- Strategy: Redeploy freed analyst hours to higher-value work.
Construction
- Construction firms: Evaluate research automation.
- EPC companies: Compare discovery methods.
Research
- Cost analysis: Study discovery cost efficiency.
- Automation studies: Model research process improvements.
Common mistakes to avoid
-
Using base salary only
Always use fully-loaded salary (1.25× base).
-
Ignoring travel costs
Discovery travel is a real cost — include it.
Frequently asked questions
What share of discovery work is automatable?
Teams typically judge 60-85% of discovery time automatable.
Which subscriptions does a tracker replace?
The mechanical portion: portal checks, news scanning, list building.
Glossary
- Discovery work:
- Finding and verifying projects — not pursuit or analysis.
- Automatable share:
- Percentage of discovery work a tracker can replace.
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