To find out whether AI is making your team more productive, measure changes in a defined work outcome—not just logins, prompts, or time spent in an app. Set a baseline, compare AI users with a credible control group where possible, and track speed alongside quality and downstream results. Then break the findings out by task and role: an overall average can hide who benefits and who does not.
Decide what “improving work” means for your team
Start with a recurring task or workflow and name the outcome AI is expected to change. “Productivity” is too broad to measure on its own. For a support team, it might mean issues resolved per hour; for another team, it could mean shorter completion time, fewer errors, less rework, or better customer outcomes.
Keep four different kinds of evidence distinct:
- Access: who is eligible to use the tool and who has it available.
- Usage: whether people use it, how often, and for which tasks.
- Task performance: how quickly and well the defined work gets done.
- Business value: whether the result improves an outcome the organization cares about, such as customer experience or reduced rework.
Access and usage help explain exposure to AI; neither proves that work improved. Likewise, more emails or documents produced is not necessarily better performance. Microsoft Research cautions that activity counts do not directly map to productivity, performance, or business outcomes, and that privacy measures hiding content can limit quality assessment. Use telemetry as context, then pair it with direct outcome and quality measures. Microsoft Research’s July 2024 report
Build a comparison that can reveal an AI effect
A simple before-and-after comparison is easy to run but difficult to interpret. Workload, staffing, seasonality, policies, or other process changes may shift at the same time as AI access. A stronger design compares an AI-enabled group with a similar group that has not yet received access, while recording relevant changes to the workflow.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems#1 Best Overall
- Valued Carpenter Pencil Set: You will get 2 pcs solid carpenter pencils with 26 piece 2.8 mm refills, 1 replaceable sharpener, 1 plastic storage box.The complete carpenter pencils combination allows you to finish your work faster and more easily
- Deep Hole Marker Pencil: The deep-hole construction pencils adopts 45mm elongated tip design, which is more convenient to mark in the small hole or in other tight areas that other carpenter markers cannot reach
- Carpenter Pencils with Sharpener: The sharpener is screwed into the top of the work pencil, which won't get lost either. Built-in pencil sharpener that keep the lead with pointed and smooth to Improves line of sight in fine work
- Stronger Solid Lead: This work pencil is matched with a 2.8 mm thick lead , which is much thicker and stronger during the drawing process of construction work, it will not break or damage easily
- Marks on Various Surfaces: 3 colors solid construction pencil can marks on various surfaces,such as metal, plastic, wood, paper etc. Ideals for woodworkers, contractors, craftsmen, builders, merchants and masons
Preferred option: randomize or phase access
Where practical, randomly assign eligible workers or teams to receive access now or later. If everyone will eventually receive the tool, a phased rollout can create a temporary comparison group. Decide the comparison and outcomes before examining results, rather than choosing the most favorable metric afterward.
When randomization is not practical
Compare the participating team with a similar team, task, or workflow that has not yet adopted AI. Document differences between the groups and any concurrent changes. The more those groups differ, the less confidently you can attribute an observed change to AI.
Rank #2
- Ergonomically Designed: Work in tight areas with a compact design that gets into tough spots
- Compact and Lightweight: Both tools are designed to fit into difficult to reach spaces. The 1/4" impact driver has a length of 5.55 in. and weighs just 2.8 lbs, while the 1/2" drill/driver measures only 7.5 in. and weighs 3.6 lbs
- Both the DEWALT impact driver and electric drill driver feature integrated LED work lights with a convenient 20-second delay, ensuring enhanced visibility in dimly lit or challenging work areas
- One-Handed Loading - Keep one hand free with a 1/4 in. hex chuck that accepts 1 in. bit tips
- Power drill cordless with 1/2" single sleeve ratcheting chuck provides tight bit gripping strength, making bit changes faster and more secure
Workplace evidence illustrates why design matters: studies in this area have used randomized or staggered field designs, rather than relying only on anecdotes. The findings still apply to their specific populations and settings, not automatically to every organization. NBER, “Shifting Work Patterns with Generative AI”; NBER, “Generative AI at Work”; NBER, “The Cybernetic Teammate”
Measure speed, quality, and downstream effects together
Choose a small set of measures that fit the workflow and define them before the evaluation starts. A practical set includes one measure of throughput or elapsed time, one quality check, and one downstream outcome where relevant. The studies do not establish a universal quality rubric; teams need to choose checks appropriate to their work.
Recommended Free Tools
Rank #3
- 【Great Compatibility】This Katerk 1/4 inch hex shank bit holder is specifically designed for 1/4 inch hex shank drill bits. It's compatible with most 1/4 fast hex handles, hex sockets, various electric screwdrivers, and handheld screwdrivers. The bit holder makes it a valuable addition for any handyman.
- 【Secure and Safe】Built with a secure backup nut design, each drill bit holder securely locks onto your bits, ensuring they stay firmly in place. Additionally, our bit holder incorporates a high-quality steel ball rolling design that holds up to several kilograms of weight, ensuring your various drill bits don't fall off.
- 【Easy One-Handed Operation】The bit holder for impact driver allows you to change bits single-handedly, simplifying your workflow. Its multi-color design further allows for quick identification of the drill bit you need.
- 【Compact and Convenient】Thanks to its compact size, this 1/4 inch bit holder is easy to carry around. The bit holder allows for easy attachment to various tools, making this a convenient addition to your construction accessories. The Katerk bit holder is cast from high-quality alloy material, promising a long product lifespan. Despite its rugged strength, the bit holder remains lightweight, making it portable.
- 【Cool Christmas Gift For Men Stocking Stuffers】 This screwdriver bit holder, driver bit holder, impact bit holder, can be given as a gift to your loved one, especially for anyone involved in construction or electrical work. It's a must-have for stocking stuffers for men and women, tools gifts for dad, tech gadgets for men, gifts for dad, gifts for him, gifts for husband, gifts for boyfriend, cool gadgets for men, and cool gifts for dad.
- Throughput or time: for example, issues resolved per hour or elapsed time to complete a task.
- Quality: error rate, rework, a consistent human review, or another task-specific standard.
- Downstream outcome: a relevant result such as customer sentiment for a support workflow.
Speed alone can reward rushed or incomplete work. More volume alone can reward low-value activity. Check whether faster completion produces acceptable quality and whether it changes the outcome the team is responsible for.
Track access and adoption separately from results
Record who was eligible for access, who received it, who used it, how frequently, and for which relevant tasks. Report these alongside outcomes, not as substitutes for them. An “AI is available” result answers a different question from “AI improved performance.”
Rank #4
- Long Nib and Deep Hole Marker: Our mechanical carpenter pencil with 45mm nib is designed for easy marking of deep holes or narrow areas. These construction pencils are the great choice for woodworking tools, construction tools, carpenter tools, contractor tools, wood carpentry tools and architect tools
- Extra Refills in 2 Colors for Versatile Marking: The construction mechanical pencil comes with 12 extra 2.8mm refills, including 6 red and 6 black refills. The black refill is suitable for light surfaces, while the red wax is perfect for dark surfaces. Our carpenter mechanical pencil makes sure that you'll have an ample supply for extended use
- Built-in Sharpener: Our construction pencil comes with a built-in sharpener to ensure the mechanical pencil tip is always sharp and ready for use. Never buy an extra pencil sharpener again. A great tool for any woodworker pencil, contractor pencils. The refill can easily be extended or retracted with a simple click of the pencils mechanical, allowing you to work more efficiently and accurately
- Portable Clip Design: Our deep hole construction pencil features a portable clip design, easy to carry and attach to your pocket or tool box, so that you can keep the carpenter pencils mechanical close at hand, making it a convenient tool to have on the go. Great gifts choice for carpenters
- Stronger Pencil Lead: The black refills are made of lead, sturdy and smooth. The red refills are made of wax, clear and light. These marking pencils are much thicker and stronger than normal pencils during the marking process of construction work, suitable for various surfaces, such as glasses, metal, boards, floors, walls, furniture, etc. The written marks can be easily wiped with a wet paper towel when needed
Distinguish the effect of offering access from results among people who actually used the tool. The first can show what happened under the rollout policy; the second can be useful context, but frequent users may differ from nonusers in experience, motivation, or task mix. An adopter-only comparison should not be presented as causal unless the analysis accounts for selection into use.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Look for differences across roles, tasks, and experience
Report results by role and task, and by experience where the sample allows. A team-wide average may conceal a gain for one group and no gain—or a different effect—for another. Avoid making fine-grained claims from groups too small to support them.
Best Value
- Milwaukee Ink all Fine Point Marker, Black, 4 Per Pack
- 4 per pack Features Clog Resistant Marker Tip Writes through Dusty, Wet and Oily Surfaces Durable Marker Tip for Writing on Concrete, OSB and Rough Surfaces
- Clog resistant tip writes on dusty, wet and oily surfaces and is optimized for rough surfaces such as OSB, cinderblock and concrete
- Hard hat clip- attaches for easy access
- Quick dry time with reduced smearing and marking
Published results show why context matters:
- In a study of 5,179 customer-support agents, researchers reported an average 14% increase in issues resolved per hour. Gains were larger for novice and lower-skilled workers (34%) and minimal for experienced and highly skilled workers. That result describes this support setting, not a general benchmark for other teams. NBER, “Generative AI at Work”
- In a field experiment involving 776 professionals working on product-innovation challenges, individuals using AI matched the performance of teams without AI. This finding concerns that experimental task; it does not establish that AI can generally replace teams. NBER, “The Cybernetic Teammate”
These different findings are a reason to test the team’s own tasks, not to select a percentage from another occupation as a target.
Check for displaced work and spillovers
An individual task may get faster without reducing total workload: time could move to other tasks, or faster individual work could change coordination demands. Measure relevant outcomes beyond the task itself when the question is whether the team’s work improved overall.
In a six-month experiment across 66 firms and 7,137 knowledge workers, the 80% of treated workers who used an integrated AI tool spent two fewer hours on email each week during the experiment’s second half and reduced work outside regular hours. Researchers did not detect changes in task quantity or composition from individual-level access in that setting. This is a study-specific result, not a guaranteed team gain. NBER, “Shifting Work Patterns with Generative AI”
Set the success bar before reviewing results
Choose in advance what improvement would matter to the team and what trade-offs are unacceptable—for example, faster completion only if quality does not fall. There is no universal minimum improvement threshold established by the cited studies. Define a meaningful bar for the particular workflow, then report the observed result with its time window, population, comparison, adoption, and uncertainty.
Keep the conclusion within the evidence: an improvement in one task or group does not prove that AI raised productivity across the organization. Survey results can provide broader context, but they are not a substitute for a controlled team-level estimate. A 2026 NBER survey of nearly 750 corporate executives reported productivity effects varying by sector; it reflects executive reports and expectations, not a controlled causal estimate for a particular team. NBER, “Artificial Intelligence, Productivity, and the Workforce”
Quick Recap
A practical evaluation checklist
- Define the scope: specify the recurring task or workflow, eligible population, and outcome AI is meant to affect.
- Choose measures: select a time or throughput measure, a quality check, and a relevant downstream outcome; decide these before looking at results.
- Set the baseline and comparison: randomize or phase access if feasible; otherwise select a similar group or workflow and record important differences.
- Record exposure: track eligibility, access, adoption, frequency, and task use separately from performance.
- Run the evaluation: use a defined time window and record other process changes that could explain a result.
- Analyze responsibly: examine differences by role, task, and experience where sample size permits; check for changes in quality, downstream outcomes, displaced work, and coordination.
- Report the limits: state who and what were measured, the comparison used, the time period, and how uncertain the result is. Do not generalize beyond that scope.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
