Purpose of this Tool

Organizations will experience many benefits from moving to the Microsoft Windows® 32-bit desktop platform that is represented by Microsoft Windows 95, Microsoft Windows NT® Workstation, and Microsoft® Office for Windows® 95. Specifically, these benefits include the following:

• Reduced support burden

• Increased control of the desktop

• Improved end-user productivity

The purpose of this business analysis tool is to provide you with a general framework for analyzing the business impact on your organization and to estimate specific elements of the impact, including the benefits, costs, and pay-back period of migrating to Windows 95, Windows NT Workstation, and Office for Windows 95.

This tool provides a general model for analysis and the output is highly dependent on the information that you choose to include. You should view this tool as a starting point for performing additional analysis. We recommend you use the output of this tool as an input to your own analysis. So, when analyzing the impact on your organization, you should also consider other benefits such as productivity gains from new capabilities in the product (for example, giving employees in your organization the new ability to access a mission critical application remotely).

On This Page

How to Use this Tool
Limitations of the Financial Impact Analysis Tool
Financial Impact Analysis Tool Input Worksheet
Windows 95 Inputs
Sources of Assumptions
Windows NT Workstation Inputs
Sources of Assumptions
Office for Windows 95 Inputs
Sources of Assumptions
Other Considerations for Your Analysis
For More information

How to Use this Tool

To most effectively use this business analysis tool, follow these steps:

• Read this document completely.

• Gather data (fill out the Business Analysis Tool Input on the following pages).

• Input the information into the spreadsheet tool. (Note: This model was developed to use Microsoft® Excel for Windows, version 5 or later and will work with either Windows 3.1 or Windows 95.)

• Review the output.

• Consider other assumptions and incorporate the output into your own model.

Limitations of the Financial Impact Analysis Tool

There are certain limitations to this Financial Impact Analysis Tool:

• The time horizon is one year from when your organization migrates to Windows 95, Windows NT Workstation, and Office for Windows 95. This tool does not make any assumptions on subsequent year affects on your organization. Therefore, if you want to perform "pay-back" analysis, you may want to take this model and project the affect on your organization for subsequent years following the migration.

• The tool does not take into consideration labor rates nor does it place a value on the person-hours saved in this model. (This is a logical way for you to use the output data in further analysis.)

• The spreadsheet model has been tested in a limited number of environments and configurations. You may encounter technical problems with the spreadsheet.

Financial Impact Analysis Tool Input Worksheet

This worksheet will help prepare you for information needed in the Business Analysis Tool spreadsheet (Financial Impact.xls). You should use this worksheet as a guide in acquiring data on your upgrade base. Some of the information you will need to input is unique to your organization (such as the number of desktops you'll be upgrading) and other information includes industry-appropriate data that you can tailor to your environment (amount of training time provided to users).

Once you've collected the necessary data specific to your upgrade base, merely plug the numbers into the Business Analysis Tool model.

Windows 95 Inputs

Sources of Assumptions

Workgroup Technologies Rescue for the Help Desk—A White Paper on the Impact of Windows 95.

Workgroup Technologies found that between 7 and 15 percent of all PC support calls will be alleviated by your upgrade base on Windows 95. This same study found that up to 50 percent of PC support calls that have been handled by technicians at the user's desks can be handled via telephone support.

Call alleviation refers to the number of calls that will no longer be placed to the help desk as a result of migrating to Windows 95 as an operating system (versus Windows® 3.1). The improvements in efficiency of existing support resources is based on the number of calls that can now be handled via the phone in lieu of having a technician physically visit the desktop. In the spreadsheet, you will input the number of requests for support your organization receives monthly (on a per PC basis). Then, you will input the number of minutes your organization spends on average servicing each request. To be able to apply the Workgroup Technology study to your environment, you also need to define how many of these total calls required a technician site visit and how much longer, on average, these calls take to service compared to supporting them via the phone. This will allow you to apply a help desk efficiency component to this model.

For more information on this study, please refer to the Rescue for the Helpdesk document located on the Windows 95 & Office 95 Evaluation and Migration Planning Kit CD (in the \Business Impact\Business Value Studies folder).

Usability Sciences, Windows 3.1 versus Windows 95 Quantification of Learning Time and Productivity

This study on Windows 3.1 users tested during their first experiences with Windows 95 found that Windows 3.1 users were immediately almost twice as productive on Windows 95 and they made 10 percent fewer mistakes. Although this study was conducted on different types of users from a variety of organizations and is projectable to the population of users of Windows at large, you must decide whether you feel this is applicable to your organization.

For more information on this study, please refer to the Windows 3.1 versus Windows 95 Quantification of Learning Time and Productivity document located on the Windows 95 & Office 95 Evaluation and Migration Planning Kit CD (in the \Business Impact\Business Value Studies folder).

Cost Avoidance from Included Software

This tool provides a pick list of software that has functionality included in Windows 95. Currently, you would have to purchase third-party software and install it on the each desktop. Windows 95 includes significant software utilities in the operating system—such as hard disk compression, disk utilities, integrating messaging, internetworking protocols, diagnostic tools, and remote access software. You should go through the pick list to choose the utilities that you use and the number of these that would be offset by migrating to Windows 95.

Time Avoidance from Integrated Software

This tool provides a pick list of software (that's included in Windows 95) that you would otherwise have to spend time to integrate onto each desktop. With Windows 95, you can save time because these features are already included in the operating system. You don't have to spend subsequent time installing them on each desktop. You should go through the pick list to choose the utilities you use today and the number of these that would be offset by purchasing Windows 95.

Windows NT Workstation Inputs

Sources of Assumptions

Technology Business Research Rescue for the Help Desk—A White Paper on the Impact of Windows NT Workstation..

The analysis performed by Technology Business Research (formerly Workgroup Technologies, Inc.) has shown that, in a steady state environment, users should see a reduction in volume of PC Helpdesk calls of between 15% and 29% annually due to Windows NT Workstation robustness security and ease of use. Using an example average site (based on this study), with 9602 PCs1, the reader could anticipate an elimination of 1222 calls per month for a potential savings of $19,980 per month. Alternatively, existing Helpdesk resources would be able to handle more users with no increase in Helpdesk staff. Obviously, savings will vary based on site population as well as other variables

Call alleviation refers to the number of calls that will no longer be placed to the help desk as a result of migrating to Windows NT Workstation as an operating system (versus Windows® 3.x). The improvements in efficiency of existing support resources is based on the number of calls that can now be handled via the phone in lieu of having a technician physically visit the desktop. In the spreadsheet, you will input the number of requests for support your organization receives monthly (on a per PC basis). Then, you will input the number of minutes your organization spends on average servicing each request. To be able to apply the Technology Business Research study to your environment, you also need to define how many of these total calls required a technician site visit and how much longer, on average, these calls take to service compared to supporting them via the phone. This will allow you to apply a help desk efficiency component to this model.

Technology Business Research projects this average size Helpdesk (serving 9602 PC users) will also see an average reduction of 67%, range 44% to 93%, from the previous number of onsite visits requiring technical staff. In this average sized site, Technology Business Research projects a further savings of $333,600 /month due to on-site visit avoidance of 1,112 visits per month. Technicians will be able to use Windows NT Workstation remote management services, other advanced features to fix the call via the network.

For more information on this study, please refer to the Rescue for the Helpdesk document located on the Worldwide Web: https://www.microsoft.com/ntworkstation/ntimpact1.htm

Usability Sciences, Windows 3.1 versus Windows 95 Quantification of Learning Time and Productivity

This study on Windows 3.1 users tested during their first experiences with the Windows 95 user interface found that Windows 3.1 users were immediately almost twice as productive and they made 10 percent fewer mistakes. Although this study was conducted on different types of users from a variety of organizations and is projectable to the population of users of Windows at large, you must decide whether you feel this is applicable to your organization.

For more information on this study, please refer to the Windows 3.1 versus Windows 95 Quantification of Learning Time and Productivity document located on the Windows 95 & Office 95 Evaluation and Migration Planning Kit CD (in the \Business Impact\Business Value Studies folder).

Cost Avoidance from Included Software

This tool provides a pick list of software that has functionality included in Windows NT Workstation. Currently, you would have to purchase third-party software and install it on the each desktop. Windows NT Workstation includes significant software utilities in the operating system—such as hard disk compression, utilities, integrating messaging, internetworking protocols, diagnostic tools, and remote access software. You should go through the pick list to choose the utilities that you use and the number of these that would be offset by migrating to Windows NT Workstation.

Time Avoidance from Integrated Software

This tool provides a pick list of software (that's included in Windows NT Workstation) that you would otherwise have to spend time to integrate onto each desktop. With Windows NT Workstation, you can save time because these features are already included in the operating system. You don't have to spend subsequent time installing them on each desktop. You should go through the pick list to choose the utilities you use today and the number of these that would be offset by purchasing Windows NT Workstation.

Office for Windows 95 Inputs

Sources of Assumptions

Workgroup Technologies Rescue for the Helpdesk—A White Paper on the Impact of Office for Windows 95.

Workgroup Technologies found that between 3 and 7 percent of all PC support calls will be alleviated by upgrading to Office for Windows 95. This same study found that up to 11 percent of PC support calls that have been handled by technicians at the user's desks can be handled via telephone support.

Call alleviation refers to the number of calls that will no longer be placed to the help desk as a result of migrating to Office 95. The improvements in efficiency of existing support resources is based on the number of calls that are addressed by the improved on-line help or can now be handled via the phone in lieu of having a technician physically visit the desktop. In the spreadsheet, you will input the number of requests for support your organization receives monthly (on a per PC basis). Then, you will input the number of minutes your organization spends on average servicing each request. To be able to apply the Workgroup Technology study to your environment, you also need to define how many of these total calls required a technician site visit and how much longer, on average, these calls take to service compared to supporting them via the phone. This will allow you to apply a help desk efficiency component to this model.

For more information on this study, please refer to the Rescue to the Helpdesk document located on the Windows 95 & Office 95 Evaluation and Migration Planning Kit CD (in the \Business Impact\Business Value Studies folder).

Kelly Services, Office 95 vs. Office 4.3 User Productivity Test

Kelly Services conducted a controlled usability test comparing employee productivity with Office 4.3 and Office 95. They found users were able to complete a set of common tasks 37% faster and they made 36 percent fewer mistakes. In addition, 70% of their users felt they could be productive with Office 95 without additional formal training.

For more information on this study, please refer to the Office 95 User Productivity document located on the Windows 95 & Office 95 Evaluation and Migration Planning Kit CD (in the \Business Impact\Business Value Studies folder).

Other Considerations for Your Analysis

This Business Analysis Tool is just one of many methods for modeling the effect Windows 95 and Office for Windows 95 will have on your organization. The following studies may also provide some insights:

For More information

For more information about Microsoft products, call Microsoft Sales Information Center at (800) 426-9400. Or visit a reseller near you. In Canada, call the Microsoft Canada Customer Support Centre at (800) 563-9048.

1 Based on the average size of the sites Technology Business Research studied for this report