People see business cases as internal proposals, the topic of part 20 in this series on report writing, but with a lot more depth and a greater likelihood of the reporter's producing both a written and oral presentation. In the spirit of depth and duality, this post covers key points from my course and webinar, Designing and Presenting a Business Case, which I deliver in classrooms and virtually.
What is a business case? A business case is the rationale and strategy for investing in, not investing in, or modifying a project or property. The project can be as straightforward as a 5,000 square-foot extension of a suburban manufacturing facility for $750,000, or for a more complex new $750 million desalination plant near a seaside town, or for a $1.5 billion city residential community. A business case can also call for divesting of a property or a business segment, or it can provide a path for changing the way a business operates.
What are the parts of a business case? You might find helpful dividing a business case into three major sections: issue, analysis, and strategy. Each of these sections include eight distinct talking points.
ISSUE
1.Aim – The problem or opportunity
2. Authorization – person, group, regulator, or law requiring the business case
3. Situation – current state of problem or opportunity
4. Standard – criteria by which situation is measured
5. Impact – effect of situation on business
6. Intervention – actions already taken to address issue
7. Context – extent of issue on business
8. History – relevant prior information about issue
ANALYSIS
9. Methods – ways and means of analyzing issue
10. Scope – area and depth of analysis
11. Limitations – restrictions preventing complete analysis (e.g., insufficient time)
12. Data – relevant facts and sources about issue
13. Causes – reasons for issue
14. Options – choices for addressing issue with advantages and disadvantages
15. Rationale – reasoning for options and conclusion
16. Conclusion – implications of business case to business
STRATEGY
17. Recommendation – suggested course of action
18. Benefits – rewards for accepting recommendation
19. Risks – challenges of applying recommendation
20. Contingencies – ways of overcoming risks
21. Plan – strategy for applying recommendation
22. Schedule – timeline and milestones
23. Investment – capital, property, and staff costs
24. Follow-up – next steps upon approval
Other reports in this series:
- Meeting Reports
- Incident Reports
- Investigation Reports
- Inspection Reports
- Procedural Reports
- Scopes of Work
- Test Reports
- Course Reviews
- Conference Reviews
- Contractor Appraisals
- Staff Appraisals
- Self-Appraisals
- Audit Reports
- Root-Cause Reports
- Business Forecasts
- Project Plans
- Project Status Reports
- Project Completion Reports
- Internal Proposals
- Justification Reports
