# Coordination cost calculator Estimate the paid capacity your team allocates to meetings, status updates, and chasing context. Change the assumptions and take a transparent summary with you. Use the interactive calculator: [What is coordination costing your team?](https://zeke.so/tools/coordination-cost-calculator) The starting values are a sample, not a benchmark. Replace them with your team's estimates. No email is needed to calculate or copy your summary. ## Bring one recent coordination task. Bring one update you chased or one answer you had to reconstruct last week. We can use a 15-minute demo to find a small task worth testing, with your evidence and your review. 15 minutes with the founders. Bring one recent example. [Book a demo with the founders](https://calendar.google.com/calendar/appointments/schedules/AcZssZ20_GeldbmSN2zDe3SUIdCOy56OFGvciCn691y6IYQCbTCUpFEP5oa5_nIj4gwNjBIMHdpPMN0R?gv=true) [Tell us about the workflow](mailto:founders@triadlabs.ai?subject=Zeke%20workflow%3A%20Coordination%20cost%20calculator%20%C2%B7%20Choosing%20a%20workflow&body=I%20came%20from%20the%20coordination%20cost%20calculator.%0AWorkflow%3A%20Choosing%20a%20workflow%0A%0AThe%20last%20time%20this%20happened%3A%0A%0AHow%20we%20handle%20it%20today%3A%0A%0AWhat%20gets%20delayed%20or%20harder%3A%0A) The email link opens a draft in your email app. ## Count the time once Count each hour once. A meeting belongs under meetings; time preparing its update belongs under reporting. Exclude that same time from chasing. Average each category across everyone you included, even people who spend zero hours on it. ## How the estimate works ### Add the time Hours per person per week = meeting hours + reporting hours + chasing hours. Use a typical week and three non-overlapping categories. Their total must fit within the modeled 40-hour week. ### Value the allocated capacity Hourly loaded pay = annual loaded pay / (48 weeks x 40 hours). Annual coordination hours = people x weekly coordination hours per person x 48. Annual capacity allocation = annual coordination hours x hourly loaded pay. The model uses 1,920 working hours per person each year. Monthly allocation is the annual figure divided by 12. Forty-hour workweeks and full-time equivalents describe time, not roles to remove. ### Explore a change, if you want Scenario hours = annual coordination hours x your assumed reduction percentage. Scenario capacity value = annual capacity allocation x that same percentage. The optional scenario starts off. Choose your own assumption after identifying a specific change, then compare it with observed time. No reduction is predicted by this calculator. ## Worked sample Coordination capacity estimate All amounts in USD; based on the inputs below, not observed results. Results are rounded; calculations use unrounded inputs. INPUTS People: 20 Average loaded annual pay per person: USD 100000 Recurring meetings: 3 hours/person/week Status preparation and reporting: 1.5 hours/person/week Chasing and reconstructing: 2 hours/person/week Working year: 48 weeks x 40 hours = 1920 hours/person ESTIMATE Coordination: 6.5 hours/person/week Team time: 130 hours/week; 6,240 hours/year Hourly loaded pay: $52 Annual capacity allocation: $325,000 Monthly capacity allocation: $27,083 Modeled annual payroll: $2,000,000 Share of modeled payroll: 16.25% Capacity: 156 forty-hour workweeks/year; 3.25 full-time equivalents METHOD Hours per person per week = meeting hours + reporting hours + chasing hours. Hourly loaded pay = annual loaded pay / (48 weeks x 40 hours). Annual coordination hours = people x weekly coordination hours per person x 48. Annual capacity allocation = annual coordination hours x hourly loaded pay. Scenario hours = annual coordination hours x your assumed reduction percentage. Scenario capacity value = annual capacity allocation x that same percentage. Count each hour once. A meeting belongs under meetings; time preparing its update belongs under reporting. Exclude that same time from chasing. Average each category across everyone you included, even people who spend zero hours on it. LIMITS Coordination includes useful work. This estimate allocates paid capacity; it does not show that all of that time is waste or that changing it creates cash savings. The calculation assumes one average pay rate, a representative week, 48 working weeks per year, and a 40-hour week. It excludes the value of delayed decisions, context switching, implementation effort, and software costs. A recovery scenario is a user-selected hypothesis. It is not a Zeke performance claim, a product ROI estimate, or a staffing recommendation. Confirm any change with your own before-and-after observations. Calculator: https://zeke.so/tools/coordination-cost-calculator ## What this number can and cannot tell you Coordination includes useful work. This estimate allocates paid capacity; it does not show that all of that time is waste or that changing it creates cash savings. The calculation assumes one average pay rate, a representative week, 48 working weeks per year, and a 40-hour week. It excludes the value of delayed decisions, context switching, implementation effort, and software costs. A recovery scenario is a user-selected hypothesis. It is not a Zeke performance claim, a product ROI estimate, or a staffing recommendation. Confirm any change with your own before-and-after observations. ## Questions about the estimate ### What should I put in each time category? Start with a recent typical week. Separate attending meetings, preparing or reporting updates, and chasing answers or rebuilding context. Average the hours over the entire group entered. Count any hour in only one category, even when a task involves several kinds of coordination. ### Is the result money we could save? It is the share of modeled pay allocated to these activities. Recovered time could support other work, but payroll may stay the same. Useful coordination should remain. The calculator does not estimate cash savings or product ROI. ### Why does the calculator stop at 40 hours? The pay conversion assumes a 40-hour working week. More than 40 hours of coordination per person would allocate more than the modeled payroll. Check for overlapping categories or an unrepresentative week; this model does not cover overtime schedules. ### Do I have to share my inputs? No. Calculation happens in this page, with no email gate. Inputs and results are not saved to the URL, browser storage, or a backend. Copy summary writes them to your clipboard only when you choose it. Reset restores the sample and clears your scenario and workflow selection. ## Pick one piece of work to investigate [Find a decision and its reasoning](https://zeke.so/guides/decision-memory) Start with a real decision someone had to reconstruct. [Prepare a brief before the meeting](https://zeke.so/guides/ai-meeting-brief) Try a recurring update that takes too long to assemble. [Make a follow-up easier to review](https://zeke.so/guides/follow-up-automation) Examine an owner or deadline you had to chase last week. [More practical notes from Zeke](https://zeke.so/blog)