Business Case Writer

When to Use

• When proposing a new project or initiative that needs funding
• When leadership requires financial justification for an investment
• When comparing build vs buy vs partner options
• When preparing for a governance or investment board review

Procedure

Step 1 — Executive Summary

Write a 1-paragraph summary that covers:

• The problem / opportunity (1 sentence)
• The recommended solution (1 sentence)
• The expected value (1 sentence with key numbers)
• The ask (1 sentence — what you need approval for)

Step 2 — Problem Statement

Frame the problem with data:

• What is happening today? (current state with metrics)
• What is the impact? (revenue, cost, risk, customer satisfaction)
• Why now? (trigger event, competitive pressure, window of opportunity)
• What happens if we do nothing? (cost of inaction)

Step 3 — Options Analysis

Criterion	Option A: Build	Option B: Buy	Option C: Do Nothing
Time to value	6 months	2 months	—
Upfront cost	$200K	$80K	$0
Annual cost	$50K	$120K/yr	$300K (cost of problem)
Control	Full	Limited	—
Risk	Medium (execution)	Low (vendor)	High (growing problem)
Strategic fit	High	Medium	Low

Step 4 — Financial Analysis

Metric	Year 1	Year 2	Year 3	Total
Revenue impact	$100K	$250K	$400K	$750K
Cost savings	$50K	$80K	$80K	$210K
Total benefit	$150K	$330K	$480K	$960K
Investment	($200K)	($50K)	($50K)	($300K)
Net value	($50K)	$280K	$430K	$660K

Summary metrics:

• ROI: 220% over 3 years
• Payback period: 14 months
• NPV (8% discount): $540K

Step 5 — Risk Assessment

Risk	Probability	Impact	Mitigation
Execution delay	Medium	Medium	Phased rollout, dedicated team
Adoption failure	Low	High	Change management plan
Technology risk	Low	Medium	POC before full commit

Step 6 — Implementation Roadmap

Phase	Duration	Deliverables	Investment
Phase 1: Discovery	4 weeks	Requirements, vendor shortlist	$20K
Phase 2: Build/Buy	12 weeks	Working solution	$150K
Phase 3: Rollout	4 weeks	Training, go-live	$30K

Step 7 — The Ask

Clearly state:

• What approval is needed (budget, headcount, executive sponsor)
• What the decision deadline is
• What happens if delayed

Inputs

Input	Required	Format
Problem description	Yes	Current situation and impact
Proposed solution	Yes	What you want to do
Financial data	Yes	Costs, expected benefits
Alternatives	Recommended	Other options considered
Timeline	Recommended	When you need a decision

Output

## Business Case — [Initiative Name]

### Executive Summary
Our customer support team handles 5,000 tickets/month manually, costing
$400K/year in labor. Implementing an AI-powered triage system will reduce
manual handling by 40%, saving $160K/year with a 10-month payback.
We request $120K in funding for Q2 implementation.

### Problem Statement
[Data-driven problem framing]

### Options
[Comparison matrix]

### Financial Analysis
[3-year projection with ROI, payback, NPV]

### Risk Assessment
[Risk table with mitigations]

### Implementation Roadmap
[Phased plan with milestones]

### Decision Requested
Approve $120K Q2 budget + 2 FTE allocation by March 30.

Definition of Done

• Executive summary fits in one paragraph
• Problem quantified with cost of inaction
• At least 3 options compared (including do nothing)
• Financial analysis includes ROI, payback, NPV
• Risks identified with mitigations
• Clear ask with decision deadline

Quality Criteria

• All claims reference specific frameworks, standards, or quantifiable data
• Content matches the stated audience's expertise level
• Recommendations are actionable — each includes a concrete next step
• No unsupported assertions or generic filler language

Verification (4C)

Check	Question
Correctness	Do referenced frameworks and standards match their official definitions?
Completeness	Are all key concepts covered without significant gaps for the stated audience?
Context-fit	Would this be useful for someone new to this domain, or is it too advanced/too basic?
Consequence	If a stakeholder acted on this immediately, what could they misinterpret?

Edge Cases

• Conflicting frameworks — State which framework takes precedence and why. Document the trade-off explicitly.
• Rapidly changing domain — Note information currency date. Flag sections likely to need updates.
• Audience has mixed expertise levels — Provide a glossary and mark advanced sections as optional.

Changelog

• v1.0.0 — Initial release