At the end of an Uber journey, a rating prompt appears instantly. This reflex of immediate feedback, perfectly natural in everyday life, remains strangely rare in organisations. Meetings end, training sessions conclude, workshops wrap up — without anyone truly knowing whether the time invested was worthwhile. This is precisely where ROTI, or Return On Time Invested, comes in: a simple, quick and accessible tool for measuring the perceived value of a collective session and identifying, with precision, what deserves to be improved.

ROTI: Understanding the Concept and What Sets It Apart from ROI

Before putting it into practice, it is worth clearly establishing what ROTI measures and why it complements an indicator that organisations have long been using.

ROTI and ROI: Two Tools That Complement Each Other

ROI, or Return On Investment, measures the financial return on investment. It is a central indicator in most organisations. But within every project, another type of investment is continuously at stake: time. The hours devoted to meetings, training sessions, discussions and working workshops. Time that does not appear on financial statements but weighs on collective efficiency.

ROTI fills the blind spot that ROI leaves open. It asks a simple question: was the time we spent together worth it? It gives participants a direct voice to evaluate the perceived value of a session relative to the time they devoted to it. It is both a measurement tool and a dialogue tool.

The 3 Golden Rules of Feedback According to Sophie Muffang

For ROTI to produce genuinely useful feedback, the quality of the responses expressed is critical. Sophie Muffang, a specialist in role transitions, identifies 3 golden rules to follow.

The first: express yourself clearly and simply. Vague or confused feedback loses its usefulness. Clarity avoids misunderstandings and makes feedback directly actionable for the person receiving it.

The second: ground feedback in specific facts. Factual feedback, anchored in specific moments or situations, is far more usable than a general impression. It allows the facilitator to understand precisely what worked and what deserves adjustment.

The third: offer several avenues rather than a single position. The objective is not to point out a problem but to open up prospects for cooperation and recommendations. Feedback thus takes on a constructive dimension, oriented towards collective improvement.

Implementing ROTI: A Simple, Readable and Quick Scale

One of ROTI's key advantages is how easily it can be deployed. It is based on a 5-value scale, designed to be used instantly at the end of a session, either by a show of hands or in a digital format.

The 5 Levels of the ROTI Scale

Each level reflects a clear perception of the balance between value gained and time invested.

1 finger: waste of time, no added value. The participant gained or learnt nothing. The session was pointless from their perspective.

2 fingers: low value relative to the time invested. The session had some usefulness, but it did not justify the time devoted to it.

3 fingers: balance between perceived value and time invested. A fair middle ground: the participant did not feel their time was wasted, but did not derive particularly strong value either.

4 fingers: significant benefit relative to the time invested. The participant gained more than the time they put in. The session was clearly useful.

5 fingers: value or benefit clearly exceeding the time invested. The session was worth far more than the time devoted to it. An excellent outcome.

Ratings can be given anonymously or not, depending on the context and the level of trust within the group. Anonymity often encourages more honest feedback, particularly in teams where open discussion about the quality of meetings is not yet well established.

Dual Reading: Evaluating Form and Substance Separately

To go further, ROTI can be enriched with a dual evaluation grid. Participants can be asked to rate the facilitation and format on one hand, and the value and content on the other. This two-level reading is particularly useful for distinguishing between what relates to the quality of the organisation and what relates to the substance of the content. It makes improvement priorities far more legible for the facilitator or organiser.

Each participant can also add a short or more developed comment alongside their rating. This is often where the true richness of the tool resides.

Making ROTI a Lever for Continuous Improvement

Gathering ratings is a first step. What gives ROTI its value is what happens next.

Measuring to Progress: The Rating as a Starting Point

Improvement begins when measurement begins. This idea is at the heart of the ROTI approach. The rating gives an overall indication of how the session was perceived, but it is the comments that make it possible to understand why and to identify what deserves to evolve. It is difficult to build meaningful self-feedback in isolation: the perspective of others is necessary to move forward. ROTI structures this exchange and gives it a clear framework, making feedback easier to give and more useful to act upon in improving future sessions.

Setting a Constructive Tone: A Non-Negotiable Condition

For ROTI to produce its effects, a constructive tone must be clearly established before the session begins. ROTI is not a venting exercise. It is important to explain its purpose to participants in advance: not to judge, but to improve.

This applies in both directions. From the participants' side, feedback must remain factual and constructive. From the facilitator's side, the challenge is to receive feedback with the openness needed to genuinely hear what deserves to be heard, without taking offence. A constructive approach is a shared responsibility, and it determines the quality and honesty of the feedback gathered.