October 2024: Measuring Success & ROI for Federal AI

PubSec.ai Newsletter

October 08, 2024

October 2024: Measuring Success & ROI for Federal AI

Comprehensive guide to measuring return on investment, demonstrating value, and reporting success metrics for M365 Copilot adoption in federal agencies.

What’s Inside This Issue

This month we tackle measurement—proving that your Copilot investment delivers tangible value to your agency and mission.

📊 Measurement Frameworks

Comprehensive guidance for establishing baseline metrics before deployment and tracking improvement over time. Covers efficiency, quality, adoption, and satisfaction measures.

💰 ROI Calculation

Practical approaches for quantifying time savings, cost avoidance, and productivity gains. Includes downloadable ROI calculator and financial value frameworks.

🎯 Mission Impact

Beyond efficiency metrics—how to capture qualitative value like improved decision-making, enhanced service delivery, and employee satisfaction.

📈 Reporting Strategies

Proven techniques for communicating Copilot value to different audiences: agency executives, CFOs, CIOs, and congressional appropriators.

✨ Real Results

Data and stories from federal agencies that measured and achieved positive ROI, including timeframes, challenges, and lessons learned.

Why Read on LinkedIn?

The full newsletter includes:

Downloadable ROI measurement template (Excel)
Sample executive briefing on Copilot value
Survey templates for baseline and follow-up assessment
Case studies with actual metrics and financial results
Video tutorial on ROI calculation
Community insights on measurement best practices

Subscribe to learn how to prove AI value!

📖 Read Full Newsletter on LinkedIn

Preview: What to Expect

Establishing Baselines

You can’t prove improvement without knowing where you started. Before deploying Copilot:

Survey users on time spent on common tasks (drafting memos, analyzing data, preparing briefings)
Measure volume: documents created, emails sent, reports generated per week
Capture quality indicators: revision cycles, error rates, stakeholder satisfaction
Document pain points: where do users spend unproductive time?

This baseline data is critical for demonstrating change.

The Four Dimensions of Value

Track value across four categories:

1. Efficiency

Time saved on specific tasks
Reduction in manual, repetitive work
Faster completion of deliverables

2. Quality

Fewer errors in outputs
Reduced revision cycles
Higher stakeholder satisfaction with work products

3. Adoption

Active user rate (percentage using Copilot weekly)
Breadth of usage (across applications and scenarios)
Sophistication of use cases (basic → advanced)

4. Intangibles

User satisfaction and morale
Attraction and retention of talent
Innovation and creative problem-solving
Work-life balance improvements

Quantifying Financial Value

To calculate ROI:

Measure time savings: Survey users or conduct time-motion studies
Calculate hourly value: Use average salary data for affected roles
Aggregate across users: Total hours saved × hourly rate × number of users
Subtract costs: Licensing, training, change management, infrastructure
Calculate ROI: (Value - Cost) / Cost × 100%

Example: 100 users saving 3 hours/week at $50/hour = $780K annual value vs. $360K in costs = 117% ROI.

Qualitative Storytelling

Numbers matter, but stories resonate. Collect:

Specific examples of how Copilot enabled mission success
User testimonials on productivity and job satisfaction
Examples of faster response to urgent needs (congressional inquiries, FOIA requests)
Evidence of employees redirecting time to higher-value work

Reporting to Different Audiences

Tailor your message:

For Agency Executives: Lead with mission impact, then efficiency and cost For CFOs: Emphasize financial ROI, cost avoidance, and budget efficiency For CIOs: Focus on adoption rates, technical success, and IT efficiency gains For Congress: Combine mission stories with quantifiable taxpayer value

Real ROI Results

Agency case study summary:

Department: ~1,200 employees, professional services and policy analysis
Pilot: 90 days, 50 users across 5 departments
Results:
- 3.2 hours/week average time savings per user
- 87% user satisfaction with Copilot capabilities
- Zero security incidents during pilot
- Projected $1.2M annual value from full rollout
- 156% ROI when including intangible benefits
Challenges: Initial resistance, need for hands-on training, governance delays
Lessons: Start small, measure early, communicate often, celebrate wins

Featured Resources This Month

Video: Measuring ROI: Quantifying M365 Copilot Value
Video: Change Management: Sustaining Adoption
Guide: AI Adoption Playbook - Scaling & Optimization Section
Resource: ROI Measurement Template (Excel)
Resource: Executive Briefing Deck Template

Measurement Toolkit

Included in this month’s resource download:

Baseline Survey Template: Pre-deployment user assessment
Follow-up Survey Template: 30/60/90-day pulse checks
ROI Calculator: Automated workbook with formulas
Time Savings Log: For detailed task-level measurement
Executive Dashboard: PowerPoint with visualizations
Congressional Briefing Template: For appropriations discussions

Expert Commentary

“The key to demonstrating AI value in government is combining quantitative rigor with qualitative storytelling. Show the numbers—time saved, costs avoided—but also show the human impact. How did Copilot help an analyst respond to a congressional inquiry in hours instead of days? How did it let a case manager handle 20% more constituent requests? Those stories, backed by data, win hearts and minds.”

— Kevin Tupper, PubSecAI Founder