By John Viktorin and Lee Downs
The ability to present a well-researched business case is an invaluable workplace tool. Not only is it easier to get approval for business initiatives, it helps you think about projects in a structured and rigorous way.
Getting your idea approved is ultimately about one thing: making it easy for others to say “yes”.
HRPA ’s Building an Effective Business Case PD in a Box workshop gives you the tools you need to get buy-in for your business ideas. While this article presents a summary of the steps you need to take, the workshop provides deeper explanations, a simple six-step process for constructing your business case and the tools to get the job done.
Understanding your decision makers.
In presenting an idea, you need to understand the person you’re speaking to. In order to feel comfortable in making a decision, decision makers need information and background focused on the essentials and presented in a clear format—they don’t need 20 page reports. They simply need to be sure that the option in front of them is the best solution to the issue and that the case is made for why this idea needs to happen.
They want to know how they will benefit and they don’t want to have to put any work into it. They want the best team assembled to execute the required activities. Financially, they want to be sure that the investment is justified in a way that will make sense to their boss. They want to see a cost analysis and they want to ensure all potential legal issues have been addressed.
It’s always about people, not data
A well conceived business case will give your project a good start based on the groundwork you’ve laid and the relationships you’ve built.
Once you’ve identified a business opportunity and identified the key decision makers you need to influence, think about who else in the organization will be impacted if your idea comes to fruition. You need to think about:
- Who can add value to the project as a partner?
- Whose job may be positively impacted by the outcome—could they help champion the project?
- Who may be negatively impacted and require support, convincing or other remediation?
- Who will need to approve the budget if not your boss?
Involving others early on will lead to an improved business case. An outside view will see the gaps in your thinking and be able to suggest solutions. Thinking up front about who to involve and how to involve them can prevent political squabbles, resistance and roadblocks down the road.
Essential components
Your business case needs to show that you’ve considered all options related to your proposal. Ensure your objectives are SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound. It needs to read like an extended sales pitch. The objective is to gain the decision maker’s agreement to take the project to the next step—the development of a more detailed project plan. Ideally your focus will be on why this project is a good business investment.
To that end, you must be clear on the business case’s goals, objectives, benefits and outcomes.
Presenting your business case
There are four distinct levels at which you need to be able to articulate your business case.
There is the thirty-second elevator speech, which should lead into a more detailed two-to-three minute verbal summary. The three-minute summary should flow into a formal presentation of no longer than 20 minutes, leaving plenty of time for questions. By anticipating and being prepared for any and all potential questions, you will feel confident when presenting your business case.
Lee Downs and John Viktorin are partners in Amoeba Communications a consulting firm that creates communications that engage people and drive performance. They are the go-to team for leaders seeking high impact, high value solutions in four areas: organizational communications, change management, HR communications and leadership communications. You can reach Lee and John at www.engagecanada.com or by calling 416-535-3350.
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