Compare the same document types before and after, across representative working days. Track hands-on minutes, end-to-end turnaround and first-pass accuracy together. A faster draft only helps if the review and final delivery are better too.
The calculation: documents × adoption share × (current minutes − new minutes) ÷ 60 = hours released per month. Unchanged work retains its original time; negative results stay visible.
For an actual case study, report the sample size, period and variation alongside the result. Check exception rates, staff adoption and restore-test results separately. This calculator estimates active effort, not elapsed delivery time or a statistical confidence interval.
Research context, not a personal result. A 2025 QJE study (opens in a new tab) of 5,172 customer-support agents found 15% more issues resolved per hour on average with AI assistance. That is a different task and a throughput measure, not a cost-saving rate. METR’s 2026 update (opens in a new tab) explains why selection effects and concurrent agents complicate developer-productivity measurement. Neither study supplies the assumptions above; each workflow needs its own evidence.