Turn schedule slips into clear, decision-ready cost numbers. Model burn, fixed fees, and revenue loss. Use results to prioritize fixes and protect deadlines today.
| Scenario | Input summary | What you learn |
|---|---|---|
| Software release slip | 5 days, 4 people, 45/hr, 6 hrs/day, 25% overhead | Total delay cost and daily burn estimate |
| Client delivery penalty | Penalty 150/day, margin 30%, revenue 1,000/day | Penalty + lost profit impact on total |
| Expedite recovery | Other costs 250, risk buffer 10% | Contingency effect on the final figure |
Delay cost combines direct spend and value erosion. Direct spend includes idle labor, overhead, and fixed daily charges. Value erosion includes penalties, lost profit from postponed revenue, and a time value adjustment. If you enter hours, the tool converts to days using your hours-per-day setting, keeping every component consistent. For example, 16 hours with 8 hours per day equals 2 delay days. Fixed daily costs often include subscriptions, rentals, and standby vendors that continue even when work stalls quietly.
Labor cost is computed as delay days × team size × loaded hourly rate × productive hours per day. Productive hours should reflect effective work, not paid presence. For many teams, 5 to 7 productive hours is realistic. Overhead is applied as a percentage of labor to represent coordination, facilities, and tooling. Typical overhead ranges from 15% to 40%, depending on the organization.
When delivery shifts, revenue may be delayed rather than lost. The calculator treats the delay as postponed revenue per day and converts it to lost profit using your margin. A 30% margin means each 1,000 of delayed revenue implies 300 of delayed profit. The discount rate approximates the cost of waiting for that profit. Using 10% annually yields about 0.027% per day, which grows with longer delays.
Many contracts include liquidated damages or service credits. Choose per-day to scale with duration, or flat for one-time charges. If a cap exists, entering it prevents unrealistic penalty growth. Pair penalties with margin impacts to see the full exposure of missing a deadline, not just the contractual line item. If penalties start after a grace period, model only the chargeable days.
Use the cost per day to rank mitigation options. If a fix costs less than one day of delay, it is usually justified. Add other one-time costs for expedited shipping, overtime, or rework. Apply a risk buffer when inputs are uncertain, and export a CSV or PDF to support approval discussions. Review the component shares to identify whether labor, profit, or penalties drive the outcome.
No. It models revenue as delayed for the entered number of days, then estimates the profit impact using your margin. If revenue is not affected, set revenue delayed per day to 0 and focus on labor, overhead, and penalties.
Use effective working time spent on the impacted work, not total paid hours. Many knowledge teams average 5–7 productive hours daily. If you track timesheets or cycle time, use that data for a realistic figure.
Overhead varies by industry and maturity. A common planning range is 15% to 40% of labor, covering management, admin, facilities, and tools. If you already use a fully loaded hourly rate, keep overhead lower to avoid double counting.
Use a cap when your contract limits total damages or credits. Enter the maximum amount to prevent per-day penalties from exceeding the contractual ceiling. If no cap exists, leave it at 0 and the calculator will not limit penalties.
It approximates the time value of money for delayed profit and penalties. You can use your cost of capital, hurdle rate, or an internal planning rate. For short delays the effect is small, but it grows with duration.
Change one assumption at a time, such as team size or delay days, and recalculate. Export each result as CSV to compare totals and component shares. This approach helps justify mitigation spending and highlight the biggest cost drivers.
Important Note: All the Calculators listed in this site are for educational purpose only and we do not guarentee the accuracy of results. Please do consult with other sources as well.