On this page
- 01Key takeaways
- 02Why measure time saved?
- 03How do you log the before?
- 04How do you log the after?
- 05What does the calculation look like?
- 06How do you check the time was reused?
- 07When is a time measure misleading?
- 08What does this look like in practice?
- 09Time saved checklist
- 10Next step
- 11Sources and further reading
- 12Frequently asked questions
Key takeaways
To measure time saved by outsourcing, log the hours your team spent on the work for two weeks before the handover, then log the hours spent reviewing and managing it once it settles. The difference is the time saved. Then check the diary to see where those hours went, because time saved but not reused is not an efficiency gain.
- Log hours on the work for two weeks before handover.
- Log review and management time after it settles.
- Time saved = hours before minus hours after.
- Check where the freed hours actually went.
Want a simple time log for your handover? Message us on WhatsApp.
Chat on WhatsApp →Why measure time saved?
Time is often the main efficiency gain from outsourcing, especially for owners and senior staff, but it is easy to overstate or forget. Measuring it turns a feeling into a number you can put in a review, compare with the cost and use to decide whether to hand over more.
How do you log the before?
For two typical weeks before the handover, everyone who touches the process logs the time they spend on it, in 15-minute blocks. Include interruptions, searching, checking and fixing errors, not just the main task. Senior people should log too, because their time is the most valuable.
- Log for two typical weeks.
- Include everyone who touches the process.
- Count interruptions, searching and corrections.
- Record by person, so senior time is visible.
How do you log the after?
Once the handover has settled, usually after 60 to 90 days, log for two more weeks the time your team spends answering questions, reviewing work, reading reports and meeting the provider. That is the ongoing cost in time. Do not log during the first weeks, when questions are front-loaded.
What does the calculation look like?
In an illustrative example, the before log shows 26 hours a week across four people, 9 of them the owner's. The after log shows 3 hours a week, 1 of them the owner's. Time saved is 23 hours a week, including 8 owner hours. At an illustrative £60 an hour for owner time and £20 for staff, the weekly value is about £780. Example figures only.
- Before: 26 hours a week, 9 of them the owner's.
- After: 3 hours a week, 1 of them the owner's.
- Saved: 23 hours a week, 8 of them the owner's.
- Illustrative value: about £780 a week.
Want your own before and after worked out? Send us your logs on WhatsApp.
Chat on WhatsApp →How do you check the time was reused?
Compare the diary before and after for the people whose time was freed. Did client work, sales or planning time rise? If the hours went into more meetings or checking, the saving is real but the efficiency gain is not. Plan named uses for the hours and review after a month.
When is a time measure misleading?
It is misleading when the before weeks were unusually busy or quiet, when people log from memory at the end of the week, or when the after log is taken during the learning period. Choose typical weeks, log daily and wait until the process has settled.
What does this look like in practice?
A pattern we see: an owner feels outsourcing has saved little, but never measured the before. Reconstructing it from diaries and emails shows the owner spent far more time on the work than they remembered. A proper before log at the start would have made the gain obvious.
Across our client work, owners have got 31 hours a week back once routine work was documented and run by a managed team.
Time saved checklist
Follow these steps.
- Log two typical weeks before handover.
- Include senior people's time.
- Wait 60 to 90 days, then log two weeks after.
- Subtract to get time saved.
- Check the diary for where it went.
Next step
Tell us the process you are handing over. We will give you a simple time log and help you calculate the saving once it settles.
Message us on WhatsApp about measuring time saved, or book a 30-minute consultation.
Chat on WhatsApp →Sources and further reading
- Rates and thresholds for employers 2026 to 2027 · HM Revenue & Customs
- Labour productivity · Office for National Statistics
Frequently asked questions
How do you calculate time saved by outsourcing?
Log the hours your team spends on the work for two typical weeks before the handover, then log the review and management time for two weeks after it settles. Subtract the after figure from the before figure to get the weekly time saved.
When should you measure time saved after outsourcing?
Wait until the handover has settled, usually 60 to 90 days, because the first weeks include extra questions, checking and corrections while the team learns your exceptions. Measuring too early understates the saving, so log two typical weeks once questions have fallen to a few a week.
How do you put a value on time saved?
Multiply the hours saved by a value per hour for each person, such as their loaded employment cost or, for owners and fee earners, what their time is worth on core work. Then check whether the freed time was actually used for that work.
Written by
Global Bridge Labs (GBL) is a UK–Sri Lanka partner for social media, websites and BPO. Everything here comes from client delivery, not theory.
