Measuring the return on AI in a small business: one workflow, 60 to 90 days, review time included
Forbes, 23 October 2026: before switching on an AI tool, measure one workflow for two to four weeks, then track it for 60 to 90 days, counting review time.
- Forbes, 23 October 2026: to judge AI in a small business, measure one workflow, before and then for 60 to 90 days.
- The real cost includes review: in a cited trial, experienced developers took 19% longer when using AI.
- For an agency, put a number on one repetitive task before widening, with a person approving every send.
In his 23 October 2026 column, Forbes contributor Rahul Dogra lays out a simple way to tell whether an AI tool really pays off for a small business: pick one workflow, record its cost, time and error rate before the tool goes live, then track the same numbers for 60 to 90 days, after a two-to-four-week baseline.
The article asks owners to count five cost lines: subscriptions and overages, setup time, review time, training and the cost of errors. It cites a 2025 trial by the group METR in which 16 experienced developers took 19% longer with AI tools while expecting to save 24%; the researchers caution that results could differ for other profiles. It also advises counting the gain as gross profit rather than sales.
For AppH
- A repetitive agency task, such as chasing missing documents or reminding someone of an appointment, is easy to measure: minutes per file before, minutes after, review included. The figure comes from your own activity, not from a survey average.
- Review time is part of the calculation: every prepared message is read and approved by a person at the agency before it goes out, so that human time is counted, not hidden.
Against / the honest limit
- The article speaks to small businesses in general, with American examples; it says nothing about domiciliation agencies or French law, and its worked example is hypothetical.
- Measuring for 60 to 90 days takes discipline and a baseline recorded before the tool; without it, any improvement remains an impression.
The right question is not “does AI work?” but “how many minutes does this workflow cost us, review included?”. A small business can answer it within a quarter, on a single task, with a person who stays in charge.
Reviewed by a human at AppH