What is the full cost of owning this path?
3-year TCO
$485,000Launch vs operating5-year TCO
$755,000Launch vs operatingAnnual run $135,000 after launch.
Workbench
Add the lines you will still pay after the launch email.
3-year TCO
$485,000Launch vs operating5-year TCO
$755,000Launch vs operatingAnnual run $135,000 after launch.
Largest operating line
Internal labor$45,000 per year. Launch cost is $80,000.
How I see it
Look past the launch invoice
A cheap-looking pilot can be expensive to own. Inference, internal labor, evaluation, and the old path that never quite turns off are usually larger than the first invoice.
Enter the cost lines you will still pay after launch. The tool totals three-year and five-year ownership, shows the mix by category, and the ongoing annual run rate.
Use it to compare a build-heavy path to a vendor-heavy path on the same years, not to decorate a decision that was already made.
Economic model
Total cost of ownershipimplementation + (annual operating lines × years)
If year-two labor and inference exceed the launch invoice, the cheap pilot was the expensive path.
When this is the wrong next step
Do not use this tool to decorate a decision.
- You only have a launch quote and will not estimate labor.
- The comparison years are different for each option.
- Finance will not engage on loaded cost.
A useful next step
Bring the numbers into a conversation.
The tool is a first cut. If the result is material, we guide the implementation and stay hands-on through operations — or tell you when a simpler answer is better.
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