How to Start a Business Case Document

Have you ever advocated for a new tool, project, or initiative, only to be told you need to "make a business case?" Except no one ever tells you what a convincing business case looks like. You write a high-level summary and hope for the best, but it feels like an exercise in futility. What no one tells you: Business cases that get approved convert ideas into metrics. Here's what a great business case includes: (1) Clear statement of the problem you need to solve, with metrics attached. Most people stick to high-level descriptions ("will help us onboard customers faster!"), but this rarely convinces anyone. Great business cases make explicit, direct reference to the organization's ability to meet its board-level goals. You want to make statements like, "Today, it takes 4 weeks to onboard a new customer. We need to get this down to 2 weeks in order to hit our target of onboarding 500 new customers this year." In other words, put your request in direct context of the goals the organization already cares about. (2) Clear explanation of how your proposed solution will help. Use metrics here too. You want to include stuff like, "Today, the manual steps involved in configuring a new account take 10 hours of someone's time. By using Fancy New Tool to automate this part of the process, we will reduce this to 30 minutes." What you assert here becomes an operational commitment if your business case is approved, so make sure you believe it. (3) Comparison of the costs of adopting your proposal vs. the costs of doing nothing. This is where most business cases fall down, even if they get (1) and (2) correct. This is stuff like, "An annual subscription to Fancy New Tool costs $80,000. Adopting Fancy New Tool will save us 9.5 hours of time across all 500 new accounts. This will save us $237,500 in labor costs. Furthermore, if we do not automate this process, we project that we will only be able to onboard 400 new accounts next year, which would amount to $15M in lost revenue opportunity." The difference between business cases that get approved and those that do not usually comes down to math. ** I'm Kieran Snyder, an AI exec, former CEO, and data storyteller who publishes new data about AI, management, and work every single week at nerd processor. Give me a follow if you like this stuff!

Most “business cases” are way too shallow to be a business case. They’re more like brochures. Glossing over an account's story with templated marketing speak instead. Here's a 3x3 checklist (3 goals across 3 topics) to help you go do deeper. To make the shift from Brochure → Business Case. *Today’s Problem* (1) Reference internal project “codenames” to focus on an exec priority. (2) Play out the problem’s “so what?” a few times to go from a functional → strategic issue. The phrase "which means" will help. (3) Use the customer’s own data to quantify your problem statement. *Tomorrow’s Payoff:* (1) Align the outcome you’ll enable to a specific, exec-level metric. (2) Create a set of believable outcome scenarios the FP&A team signs off on. (3) De-risk those scenarios by linking out to a clear go-live plan. *The Pathway (From Problem → Payoff)* (1) Find a specific date (i.e. "compelling event") to anchor your timeline to a shift in the customer's org. (2) Weave in feedback from multiple buying roles, with known detractors’ critiques added. (3) Frame your “unique differentiators” as must-have requirements that’ll drive the decision. Is going deep on all these points as easy as handing out a brochure? Nope. Definitely not. But it’s worth it. You'll make it that much easier for your champions to sell internally. You can also cut down the time it takes to get to your first draft, and spot your discovery gaps, with Fluint: https://lnkd.in/gE-cZisa

HR Effectiveness. Here's my cheat sheet to help develop a business case for building new HR teams or functions. HR leaders continue to evolve their structure and teams. A business case helps evaluate options/guide decisions. My cheat sheet can help jumpstart your thinking. 1. Executive Summary → What is the proposed function, department, or team? → Why is it needed now? → What are the expected benefits? (1-2 key outcomes) 2. Problem and Opportunity → What business issue/opportunity does this address? → What's the impact if nothing changes? → How does this align with organizational goals? 3. Proposed Solution → What will the new function/department/team do? → How is this different from what exists today? → Who will it serve (internal/external stakeholders)? 4. Options Considered → What other solutions were explored? → Why is your recommendation the preferred option? 5. Benefits, Value, ROI → What are the top 2–3 measurable outcomes? → How will success be measured (KPIs, milestones)? → What is the expected ROI over 6, 12, 24 months, etc.? 6. Costs and Resources → What are the estimated start-up and ongoing costs? → What people, tech, or other resources are required? 7. Risk and Mitigation → What could go wrong? → How will you manage or reduce these risks? 8. Implementation Timeline → What are the key phases or milestones? → When could the function/team be operational? 9. Next Steps → What decision or approval is needed from leadership? → What are the immediate next steps once approved? There's more to business cases than what's shown here. Use this as a starting point and modify as needed. ❓Which parts resonate most? What would you add? Drop your ideas below.  ♻️ Repost to help others with their HR business case 🔔 Follow Brian Heger for more insights 💾 Save this post for reference Want my cheat sheet? Get it in issue 300 of my Talent Edge Weekly newsletter 👉 https://lnkd.in/gYn9yByc