Original Framework / Research and Product Design
How an executive argument about AI sequencing became a transparent, recalculable operating tool instead of another static ROI slide.
The problem
AI business cases often lead with model price, licenses, prompts, or estimated hours saved. Those measures do not show whether the business received a usable, compliant, complete outcome—or what review, correction, integration, risk, and operating work was required to produce it.
The questionHow can an executive argument about AI sequencing become a transparent, recalculable operating tool rather than another static ROI slide?
The approach
The paper separates adoption from enterprise impact, technical activity from verified outcomes, and released capacity from realized cash savings. Externally sourced claims are mapped to a source ledger and publication limitations.
AI TCO covers implementation, recurring operations, human review, rework, infrastructure, governance, and risk. Verified outcomes separate first-pass, reviewed, corrected, failed, and unresolved work. The business-case engine adds baseline comparison, ROI, payback, NPV, break-even, and capacity.
The calculator labels evidence quality and returns “not comparable” or “not calculable” instead of zero. Capacity never becomes cash by default, expected loss is protected from double counting, and the tool never recommends headcount reduction.
Dense factual graphics become semantic HTML. Formula versions, dated pricing snapshots, pure calculation modules, and exported inputs make every result reproducible.
Calculation architecture
Upfront, recurring, review, rework, integration, governance, and risk.
First-pass, reviewed-pass, corrected, failed, and unresolved.
Hard ROI, risk-adjusted value, payback, NPV, break-even, and capacity.
Deliverables
Current status
Formula 1.1.0 is implemented as an isolated calculation engine and validated against acceptance vectors plus boundary tests. The interface remains static and private: calculations stay in the browser and are not submitted.
Boundaries
This work demonstrates a research and product-design system. It does not claim a client savings result, a typical AI ROI, production adoption, or an audited financial outcome. The calculator produces decision support from user inputs; it is not accounting, legal, investment, employment, cybersecurity, or regulatory advice.
Use the system
The calculator makes the assumptions visible and reproducible.