Business Case Structure
Detailed business case structure and breakdown of sections into key components.
Table of Contents: Include a clear list of chapters and sub-chapters.
Executive Briefing: The clarity and effectiveness of the executive briefing in your business case are crucial. Based on this section, decision-makers – and, in this case, your lecturers – will decide whether to continue reading the rest of your submission. A well-crafted executive briefing that clearly presents your project’s key benefits and insights can compel them to read further. However, if it fails to convince or engage, it might lead to them stopping there, which could result in a less favorable evaluation of your assignment. Therefore, making this part as compelling and clear as possible is essential. Keep the audience focus in mind and tailor the briefing for executive decision-makers who value brevity and clarity. Remember, they have limited time.
To structure the executive briefing of your business case, you can break it down into four key components:
Concise Summary: Provide a clear business case summary, focusing on key findings and recommendations. Clearly explain why this document is important for the reader.
Clear Recommendation: Directly state your main top 3 recommendations to guide decision-makers.
Analysis Overview: Briefly highlight the core analysis results that support your recommendation.
“Decision to be Taken” Section:
Decision Requirement: Outline the specific decision needed from the executives.
Impact of Decision: Briefly note the expected outcome or impact of the decision.
Format: Use bullet points for the “Decision to be Taken” section for easy scanning and understanding.
3. Introduction: Describe the organization’s context, the project’s motivation in relation to the organization’s strategy, the specific scope of the project (including what is not in scope), and the expected business objectives and measurable outcomes of the proposed interventions.
4. Analysis: This section is the core of your business case, showing in-depth research and critical thinking. Present a comprehensive business case analysis based on the insights you collected throughout your weekly to-dos, covering assumptions, benefits, risks, and strategic options. This proves that a thorough analysis of relevant factors supports the recommendation and follows a sound decision-making process. To structure the comprehensive analysis of your business case, you can break it down into four key components. Here’s a breakdown:
Assumptions:
Identify the underlying assumptions in your analysis.
Discuss how these assumptions impact your project’s feasibility and outcomes.
Validate or question these assumptions based on the insights from your weekly tasks or available data/research/best practices.
Benefits:
List the potential benefits of your proposed initiatives.
Explain how these benefits align with organizational goals or solve existing problems.
Quantify the benefits wherever possible using data from your research.
Risks:
Identify potential risks and challenges.
Analyze the likelihood and impact of these risks.
Propose mitigation strategies based on your findings.
Strategic Options:
Present different strategic options or pathways for your project.
Compare these options based on feasibility, cost, impact, and alignment with goals.
Recommend the most viable options supported by your analysis. (= Top 3 recommendations)
This structured approach demonstrates a thorough analysis and sound decision-making process, supporting your final recommendation.
5. Conclusion, Recommendation, and Next Steps: Restate the opportunity the project aims to tackle, provide the recommended approach, and outline the time and resource estimates for delivering the project. For the “Conclusion, Recommendation, and Next Steps” section of your business case, consider the following breakdown:
Conclusion:
Summarize key findings from your analysis.
Briefly restate the main opportunity or problem your proposed initiatives address.
Recommendations:
Clearly state your proposed Top 3 approaches or solutions.
Explain why this approach is the best option based on your analysis.
Next Steps:
Outline the initial steps required to start the project.
Provide time and resource estimates for project implementation.
Mention any immediate actions or decisions required from decision-makers.
This structure helps to conclude your business case effectively, presenting a clear path forward based on your comprehensive analysis.
6. Process Log: This section includes your weekly to-dos, provides transparency into the methodology and steps taken, and offers a detailed walkthrough of the process used to arrive at conclusions and recommendations
7. Sources: This section includes all supplementary information, data, sources, or supporting documents.
