HBR Guide to Building Your Business Case

Get your idea off the ground.

You've got a great idea that will increase revenue or boost productivity — but how do you get the buy-in you need to make it happen? By building a business case that clearly shows your idea's value. That's not always easy: Maybe you're not sure what kind of data your stakeholders will trust. Or perhaps you're intimidated by number crunching.

The HBR Guide to Building Your Business Case, written by project management expert Raymond Sheen, gives you the guidance and tools you need to make a strong case. You'll learn how to:

• Spell out the business need for your idea
• Align your case with strategic goals
• Build the right team to shape and test your idea
• Calculate the return on investment
• Analyze risks and opportunities
• Present your case to stakeholders

• Introduction: Success is enabling a wise decision
• Section 1: Prepare
1. Know the Basics of Making a Case
   You're telling a story about how to meet a business need.
2. Learn How Your Company Evaluates Cases
   Seek counsel from those who know what will fly
• Section 2: Get to Know Your Audience
3. Figure Out Who's Calling the Shots
   Who really has the authority to give your project the green light?
4. Understand Your Audience's Objectives
   Find out what your stakeholders care about
• Section 3: Build the Case
5. Clarify the Need
   What pain are you trying to alleviate? What opportunity are you pursuing?
6. Build a Cross-Functional Team
   You need multiple perspectives to find the right solution
7. Consider Alternatives
   The tough part is ruling out options
8. Think Through the "How" at a High Level
   Pave the way for realistic estimates
• Section 4: Crunch the Numbers
9. Estimate Costs and Benefits
   Peg them to categories in your company's P&L
10. Calculate ROI
    Spreadsheets make it fairly  painless
11. Account for Risks
    Weight the "what ifs"
• Section 5: Present Your Case and Move Forward
12. Prepare Your Documents
    Summarize your story and support it with data
13. Shop Your Case Around
    Drum up support before decision time
14. Are You Ready to Present?
    Use this brief checklist to make sure you've covered all the bases
15. Make Your Pitch
    Appeal directly to decision makers
16. Get to a Decision
    "Yes" is meaningless unless stakeholders commit resources
17. What Next?
    Get started, even if it means heading back to the drawing board
• Appendix A: Avoid Common Mistakes
• Appendix B: How to Give a Killer Presentation
  by Chris Anderson, Ted Curator

This is a book, not only about creating a business case, but also about why, and how to win approval.

Good reading for those who needs its.