
Pick the most important points that allow for a coherent picture, but strive to keep it concise: it should not be longer than one or two pages.

A business case is not a government form in which you tick boxes as you answer a gazillion questions it’s a medium for your brilliant business thinking.Īlways written last, the Executive Summary presents the essence of the business case, in a condensed format. This is an important point, because flexibility is what you need to put a truly convincing case together. Nothing is really set in stone, including the headings. I have been asked so many times about the best structure for a business case that we have placed a template onto our corporate website ( It consists of the sections I will describe here, and you’ll find that it is quite flexible.

This is it, no mystery, just a communication tool. Did your teenage daughter convince you that she can’t possibly survive without an iPod? (“I can listen to class notes and presentations and will improve my marks.”) How on Earth did you agree to go on that Mediterranean cruise with your in-laws? (“It will make me happy, dear. Think about it, you present and hear business cases all the time, with your children, parents, significant others, friends, and colleagues. It could be in the form of a verbal message, but the structure and the content is, nevertheless, the same as if it were written up. Brevity is always a virtue.Īs a matter of fact, a business case does not have to be a written document at all. What is relevant is that the business case provides all the necessary information to make the job of the decision maker possible. There’s no magic formula when it comes to the size of a business case. The sole role of a business case is that of a communication tool, composed in a language that the target audience understands and with enough detail to facilitate decision making on his or her part. This is not a business case this is a disaster. It’s printed on high-quality paper stock and placed onto the top shelf of an executive’s office to be used as a breeding ground for dust bunnies.
Six elements of all business letters professional#
There is a fallacy that a business case is a thick tedious manuscript, written by professional consultants in an incomprehensible language.
Six elements of all business letters how to#
But what exactly is a business case and how to go about putting one together? What’s a business case? In a recent article, Making a case: How to become a thought leader and influence decisions, I gave some practical advice on influencing decisions and improving one’s ability to present a compelling business case. A good business case helps to make right decisions and avoid horrible waste. The vast majority of unsuccessful projects fail not because of poor project management, but because of poor decisions with respect to the choice of projects.

6 essential elements for a winning business case
