Answers

We're about to commit real budget to AI. How long before we see money back?

Zachary King, Cofounder and CEO at Works · LinkedIn

Short answer

For most companies, the first measurable money back lands inside 30 days, not at the end of the transformation. Measurable means measured, not felt. Baseline the workflow's hours, cost and time before you build, ship it, then measure again. The difference is your return on a named workflow, with a date on it.

Do this week

Put it in the contract: first measurable return, on a named workflow, inside 30 days. Then watch how the room reacts.

Transcript

We're about to commit a real budget to AI. How long before we start to see money back?

For most companies, the first measurable money back will happen inside 30 days, not at the end of the transformation. And measurable means measured. Not felt, not a vibe. Baseline the workflow before you build: hours, loaded cost, time. Ship it, and then measure it again, and measure it again with each iteration. The difference is your return on a named workflow with a date on it.

If a partner can't tell you which workflow pays back first and how they'll measure it, then they're not really planning on measuring it. Our installs run on a 90-day sprint, and the first workflows usually go live inside the first three weeks. That's deliberate. The early wins are proof that the rest of the program stands on. And that's what really gets the team excited.

So, put it in the contract. First measurable return, named workflow, inside 30 days. Then watch how the room reacts. Their reaction will tell you more than the proposal does.

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