Business automation ROI ranges from 200-800% in the first year. The Sberbank project with AppStar achieved 91% time savings on Gemba inspections, while Kawasaki IT modernization reduced costs by 40%. Average payback period is 3-6 months for RPA and 6-12 months for complex AI solutions.
Formula: ROI = (Savings — Investment) / Investment × 100%. Consider direct savings (employee time), indirect savings (error reduction, process acceleration), and strategic benefits (scaling without hiring).
If a process runs fewer than 10 times per month or requires constant human judgment, automation may not be cost-effective.