The Cost of Chaos

A live worksheet to estimate hidden costs and choose your first fixes.

Download the PDF Try the Time Back Calculator Book a 15-minute Clarity Check

Loaded Hourly Rate

Use a fully-loaded average (wages + taxes + benefits).

Avg loaded hourly rate ($)

A) Rework & Stalls

Weekly hours lost to reopened work, handoff stalls, and fixes.

Hours lost per week Working weeks per year

B) Decision Drag

Time leaders spend chasing context/approvals that could be cleaner.

Leader decision hours per week

Leader hourly rate ($)

% of that time wasted

Working weeks per year

C) Early Turnover

Early exits (within the first year) are costly.

Early exits per year

Average salary ($)

Cost factor

D) Project Waste

Budget lost to delays, unclear scope, and redo.

Annual project spend ($) Waste factor

Total Estimated Cost

Annual

Monthly

Weekly

Next: Time Back Calculator Book a 15-minute Clarity Check

Methodology & Sources

Formulas

A) Rework & stalls: weekly hours lost × loaded hourly rate × working weeks (default 50).
B) Decision drag: leader decision hours/week × leader rate × working weeks × % wasted.
C) Early turnover: early exits/year × average salary × cost factor (0.5/1.0/2.0).
D) Project waste: annual project spend × waste factor (default 0.099).
Total: A + B + C + D. These are directional estimates—use your real numbers.

Why these levers: Interruptions and rework carry restart costs; smaller queues reduce lead time; clear acceptance reduces redo; onboarding outcomes correlate with time-to-productivity. Defaults are conservative—tune to your team.