Identify cognitive bottlenecks and quantify the mental burden in your organization's workflows
Instructions: Use this assessment tool to evaluate the cognitive load experienced by your team members. Complete this assessment for key roles or departments to identify where MCP implementation would deliver the greatest benefit.
For each role or department being assessed, track the number of different systems, tools, and applications employees must interact with during typical workflows.
| Role/Department | Number of Systems Used | Context-Switches Per Hour | Total Daily Context-Switching Time (est.) | Cognitive Load Score (1-10) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Customer Service | ||||
| Sales | ||||
| IT/Development | ||||
| Operations | ||||
| Finance | ||||
| Marketing | ||||
| Human Resources |
Note: A context-switch occurs when an employee must shift attention from one system or tool to another. Research shows each context-switch takes 9-23 minutes to regain full productivity.
Identify routine, repetitive tasks that could be automated with MCP. Estimate time spent on these tasks and the cognitive effort required.
| Task Description | Frequency | Time Per Instance | Monthly Hours | Cognitive Effort (1-5) | MCP Automation Potential (1-5) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Data entry across systems | |||||
| Report generation | |||||
| Information lookup | |||||
| Status updates | |||||
| Documentation | |||||
| Email processing | |||||
| Scheduling | |||||
| Customer inquiries | |||||
| Other: ___________ |
Distribute this questionnaire to team members to gauge their perceived cognitive load. Calculate average scores for each dimension.
How mentally demanding are your daily tasks?
How frustrated do you feel when context-switching between different systems?
How often do you feel rushed or under time pressure due to system complexity or tool switching?
How frequently do you get distracted during context switches between systems?
How much of your workday can you dedicate to high-value strategic thinking?
Use the data gathered from the previous sections to prioritize MCP implementation areas.
| Department/Process | Cognitive Load Score (1-10) | Time Savings Potential (hours/month) | Implementation Complexity (1-5) | Priority Score | Implementation Phase |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Calculating Priority Score: (Cognitive Load Score × 2) + (Time Savings Potential ÷ 10) - Implementation Complexity
| Factor | Calculation | Result |
|---|---|---|
| A. Total hours spent on automatable tasks monthly | (Sum from Part 2) | |
| B. Average hourly employee cost (including benefits) | $ | |
| C. Monthly cost of cognitive load | A × B | |
| D. Annual cost | C × 12 | |
| E. Estimated MCP implementation cost | $ | |
| F. Estimated efficiency gain with MCP | % | |
| G. Annual savings | D × (F ÷ 100) | |
| H. Return on Investment | (G ÷ E) × 100% | |
| I. Payback period (months) | (E ÷ G) × 12 |