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Business cases are usually written to justify the resources and capital investments needed to bring a project into action. They are also used to present an argument that a particular course of action is better than the present one. You may be writing a business case to gain extra funding for a new services i.e. a new IT project or to justify resources. As well as putting financial arguments together, the business case is the one document where the what, when, where, how and why are documented in one place.
Do your research
Try to understand management’s outlook. If the finance director decides your case, you may need to show how the benefits outweigh the costs involved. If possible make a friend of someone knowledgeable in the finance department. An operations manager may be more interested in improving staff productivity.
Basic Elements you need to cover in a written proposal
One or two people within the team usually write the business case, although the information should come from all team members.
Overall goals
Make sure you write to your audience’s expectations and comprehension levels. Keep it clear and concise, minimising jargon. Provide the reader with an interesting vision of the end result.
- Have a key message. E.g. ‘Web-enabling the catalogue is the keystone to moving the Information Service from its current position to an online service’. Highlight the outcomes rather than the inputs. Keep to a paragraph or less
- Project objectives. What is your business case trying to achieve. Limit yourself to seven bullet points in order to explain what it is you are trying to accomplish. What are the benefits to the organisation?
- - Does the proposal lower cost or increase revenue?
- - Does it have benefits to key stakeholders i.e. senior management and customers?
- - Does it support the longer-term strategic direction of the organisation?
- Current process. Give an overview of the organisational processes that will be affected, include other departments within the organisation. Relationships with clients, external partners and competitors.
- Requirements. List the resources needed to complete the project, include staff, hardware, software, print materials, time, budget etc.
- Alternatives. Outline other options and what the outcomes would be. These could what happens to the service if you do nothing, stopping the activity, outsourcing, limiting the scope of the project. It is good to have a fallback position, maybe going for a phased rollout of a programme.
Promoting your case
If you are advocating a large change, you may want to lobby people individually, holding 1:1 briefings before a formal presentation or meeting. You may want to have a handout to get your message across.
Presenting your case
Check that your message is clear, you need to tell the audience why they should say yes. How much money, people and time will be needed to deliver the project. Use the 6Ps, purpose, people, proposition, Powerpoints, process and payoff – for the audience. See Top Tip on Presentation Skills.
An example of a case for purchasing new software to web enable the catalogue
An example of a business case written to justify keeping a library assistant post.
List of useful sources on writing a business case.
Article by Frank Ryan. Library and Information Update 4 (5) May 2005 pp 26-29 Which looks at costing an information service.