Special functions · TAME Calculator

Test automation, costed in man-hours you can defend — before you commit a cent.

A transparent two-stage effort model for moving a test suite from manual to AI-assisted creation and automated execution. It separates one-time creation savings from per-cycle execution break-even, then layers in the scripting learning curve, governance overhead, and a cost-aware investment case — so “automation will save time” becomes a defensible man-hours number with a break-even you can put in a business case. Free, with a published methodology paper.

Open the TAME Calculator demo →

01 · The landscape

What the market has

Vendor ROI calculators (Tricentis, Katalon, et al.)

Hours-saved spreadsheets bundled with a tool

The gap: Single-stage and self-serving — they assume the automation works and skip creation cost, break-even, and maintenance drag

“X% faster” vendor claims

Headline productivity percentages

The gap: No model behind the number — not defensible in a business case, and never expressed in man-hours

COCOMO / function-point estimation

Classic software-effort models

The gap: Built for build effort, not the manual-vs-automated test economics or per-cycle break-even

Bespoke consulting effort models

A slide from your SI or QA vendor

The gap: Opaque, one-off, and priced into the engagement — you can’t run your own numbers

02 · Differentiators

Where we differ

Two stages, honestly separated: one-time creation savings and per-cycle execution break-even — because the economics differ and blending them hides the truth
Outputs man-hours and a break-even cycle count, not a vague percentage — a number you can defend in a business case
Models the levers that actually move the verdict: scripting learning curve, context modifiers (σ seniority, ρ governance, κ tool-fluency), and a cost-aware upfront-vs-per-cycle investment case
Fully transparent: a published 16-section methodology paper with every formula, a symbol table, and an end-to-end governed-SAP worked example — and every input is yours to set

03 · Functionality

What we built

Interactive calculator: set suite size, authoring / review / execution times, and cycles; read creation saving, execution break-even, and program saving live
Context modifiers (σ seniority, ρ governance, κ tool-fluency) that reflect real programs — e.g. a SOX-governed SAP suite where governance flips the verdict
Scripting learning-curve model + cost-aware layer (loaded rate, fixed + per-cycle tooling cost) → break-even cycles and net value
Companion methodology paper at /methodology/tame — the full derivation, per-formula symbol tables, and a worked governed-SAP example

See it working — today

The demo runs the complete loop on live data: capture, decide, govern, post, audit. No process change required on day one.

Open the TAME Calculator demo

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