Compare the cost of refactoring against the maintenance time it saves.
Return on investment restates profit as a percentage of the money put in, so a small campaign and a large one can be ranked on the same scale. The return multiple is the gross figure (revenue ÷ cost) that marketing teams usually call ROAS. A refactoring effort can grow revenue and still destroy value; ROI is what tells you which side of the line you are on before you scale the spend.
Refactoring ROI
ROI = (Value of maintenance time saved − Cost of the refactoring work) ÷ Cost of the refactoring work × 100
ROI = (Value of maintenance time saved − Cost of the refactoring work) ÷ Cost of the refactoring work × 100 Return on investment restates profit as a percentage of the money put in, so a small campaign and a large one can be ranked on the same scale. The return multiple is the gross figure (revenue ÷ cost) that marketing teams usually call ROAS.
A refactoring effort can grow revenue and still destroy value; ROI is what tells you which side of the line you are on before you scale the spend.
This calculator takes 2 inputs: Value of maintenance time saved, Cost of the refactoring work. The pre-filled defaults are a realistic starting point — replace them with figures from your own environment for a result you can act on.