| name | roi-calculator |
| description | Calculate and present ROI for AI projects, services, or business investments.
TRIGGERS - Use this skill when:
- User wants to calculate ROI for a project or service
- User needs to justify an investment or expense
- User wants to present cost-benefit analysis to stakeholders
- User mentions ROI, cost savings, payback period, or business case
|
ROI Calculator
Overview
Calculates and presents clear ROI analysis for projects, services, or investments. Creates stakeholder-ready reports with hard numbers.
Workflow
Step 1: Gather the Numbers
Ask the user:
- What's the investment? (service, tool, project, hire)
- Total cost: One-time + ongoing monthly/annual costs
- Current state: Time spent, cost of current process, error rate
- Expected improvement: Time saved, revenue gained, errors reduced
- Timeline: When do benefits start? Over what period?
Step 2: Calculate Core Metrics
ROI Formula:
ROI = ((Total Benefits - Total Costs) / Total Costs) × 100
Key Metrics to Calculate:
- Net benefit = Total benefits - Total costs
- ROI % = Net benefit / Total costs × 100
- Payback period = Total costs / Monthly benefit
- Monthly recurring savings
- Annual impact
- Break-even point
For Time Savings:
Hours saved per month × Hourly rate = Monthly savings
Monthly savings × 12 = Annual savings
For Revenue Impact:
New revenue enabled + Revenue from freed-up time = Total revenue impact
Step 3: Build the Analysis
Output Format
# ROI Analysis: [Investment Name]
## Executive Summary
**Bottom line**: For every $1 invested, you get $[X] back.
- **Total investment**: $[X]
- **Annual return**: $[X]
- **ROI**: [X]%
- **Payback period**: [X] months
## Cost Breakdown
| Cost Item | One-Time | Monthly | Annual |
|-----------|----------|---------|--------|
| [Item 1] | $X | $X | $X |
| [Item 2] | $X | $X | $X |
| **Total** | **$X** | **$X** | **$X** |
## Benefits Breakdown
| Benefit | Monthly Value | Annual Value | How Calculated |
|---------|-------------|-------------|----------------|
| Time savings | $X | $X | [X hrs × $X/hr] |
| Error reduction | $X | $X | [X errors × $X cost] |
| Revenue increase | $X | $X | [explanation] |
| **Total** | **$X** | **$X** | |
## 12-Month Projection
| Month | Cumulative Cost | Cumulative Benefit | Net Position |
|-------|----------------|-------------------|-------------|
| 1 | $X | $X | -$X |
| 3 | $X | $X | -$X |
| 6 | $X | $X | +$X |
| 12 | $X | $X | +$X |
## Break-Even Point
**Month [X]** — After this point, every month generates $[X] in net value.
## Conservative vs Optimistic Scenarios
| Scenario | ROI | Payback | Annual Return |
|----------|-----|---------|--------------|
| Conservative (50% of projected) | X% | X months | $X |
| **Expected** | **X%** | **X months** | **$X** |
| Optimistic (150% of projected) | X% | X months | $X |
## Recommendation
[Clear recommendation with confidence level]
Quality Checklist
