Why automation saves hours in Excel - Formula Trace Breakdown

Sample Data

This data shows a task called Data Entry, how long it takes manually, how many times it is done, and how long it takes with automation.

Cell	Value
A1	Task
B1	Time per Task (minutes)
C1	Number of Tasks
D1	Total Time Manual (minutes)
E1	Automation Time per Task (minutes)
F1	Total Time Automated (minutes)
G1	Time Saved (minutes)
A2	Data Entry
B2	10
C2	20
E2	2

Formula Trace

=B2*C2

Step 1: B2 * C2

Step 2: 200

Cell Reference Map

    A       B       C       D       E       F       G
1 | Task  | Time  | Number| Total | Auto  | Total | Time  |
  |       | per   | of    | Time  | Time  | Time  | Saved |
  |       | Task  | Tasks | Manual| per   | Auto  |       |
  |       | (min) |       | (min) | Task  | (min) | (min) |
2 | Data  |  10   |  20   |       |   2   |       |       |
  | Entry |       |       |       |       |       |       |

Arrows: B2 and C2 feed into formula in D2 (Total Time Manual).

Cells B2 and C2 are multiplied to find total manual time in D2.

Result

    A       B       C       D       E       F       G
1 | Task  | Time  | Number| Total | Auto  | Total | Time  |
  |       | per   | of    | Time  | Time  | Time  | Saved |
  |       | Task  | Tasks | Manual| per   | Auto  |       |
  |       | (min) |       | (min) | Task  | (min) | (min) |
2 | Data  |  10   |  20   |  200  |   2   |       |       |
  | Entry |       |       |       |       |       |       |

The cell D2 now shows 200 minutes, the total time to do 20 tasks manually.

The formula result in D2 shows total manual time as 200 minutes.

Sheet Trace Quiz - 3 Questions

What does the formula =B2*C2 calculate?

A Time saved by automation

B Total time to do all tasks manually

C Time per automated task

D Number of tasks automated

Key Result

Multiply time per task by number of tasks to get total time spent.