| |
| |
Mentor's Message: The Advantages of a Solid Business Case | |
| |
| |
Developing a Business Case: The Basics | |
| |
| |
What Is a Business Case? | |
| |
| |
A preview of key facts about business cases | |
| |
| |
Business case versus business plan | |
| |
| |
When you should create a business case | |
| |
| |
A complex document | |
| |
| |
Seven steps to a business case | |
| |
| |
| |
Define the Opportunity | |
| |
| |
Tips for articulating the opportunity you want to pursue | |
| |
| |
Identifying a problem or opportunity | |
| |
| |
Developing an opportunity statement | |
| |
| |
Identifying your business objectives | |
| |
| |
Prioritizing your objectives | |
| |
| |
Assigning metrics to your objectives | |
| |
| |
| |
Identify the Alternatives | |
| |
| |
Ideas for making sure you have many options to choose from | |
| |
| |
Generating a list of options | |
| |
| |
Gathering input | |
| |
| |
Narrowing your choices | |
| |
| |
| |
Gather Data and Estimate Time Frame | |
| |
| |
Suggestions for obtaining crucial information about your opportunity | |
| |
| |
Identifying the information you need | |
| |
| |
Collecting the data | |
| |
| |
Setting a time frame | |
| |
| |
Documenting your estimates and assumptions | |
| |
| |
| |
Analyze the Alternatives | |
| |
| |
Recommendations for comparing all your alternatives | |
| |
| |
Evaluating alternatives against your metrics | |
| |
| |
Understanding common financial metrics | |
| |
| |
Creating a framework for comparing alternatives | |
| |
| |
| |
Make a Choice and Assess the Risk | |
| |
| |
Advice for selecting a course of action and weighing its pros and cons | |
| |
| |
Selecting the best solution | |
| |
| |
Weighing the risks | |
| |
| |
Deciding how to mitigate the risks | |
| |
| |
Determining whether to modify your recommended course of action | |
| |
| |
| |
Craft a Plan for Implementing Your Idea | |
| |
| |
Tips for ensuring that your proposed alternative can be put into action | |
| |
| |
Understanding the purpose of an implementation plan | |
| |
| |
Listing your milestones | |
| |
| |
Communicating with decision makers | |
| |
| |
Identifying resources you'll need | |
| |
| |
Clarifying responsibilities | |
| |
| |
Indicating expected payoff | |
| |
| |
Tracking your results | |
| |
| |
| |
Communicate Your Case | |
| |
| |
Techniques for presenting your case to decision makers | |
| |
| |
Understanding your audience | |
| |
| |
Using visuals to present your case | |
| |
| |
Tips and Tools | |
| |
| |
Tools for Developing a Business Case | |
| |
| |
Worksheets for identifying alternatives, tracking implementation of your idea, ensuring that you've taken all the right steps for creating a business case, and documenting an actual business case | |
| |
| |
Test Yourself | |
| |
| |
A helpful review of concepts presented in this guide. Take it before and after you've read the guide, to see how much you've learned | |
| |
| |
Answers to test questions | |
| |
| |
To Learn More | |
| |
| |
Further titles of articles and books if you want to go more deeply into the topic | |
| |
| |
Sources for Developing a Business Case | |
| |
| |
Notes | |
| |
| |
For you to use as ideas come to mind. | |