Making the Case: Getting the Resources You Need Alexia P. Idoura

1. Making the Case: Getting the Resources You NeedAlexia P. Idoura Tri-Doc 2005

2. What types of resources do you need? • $ • Headcount • Capital

3. What is a business case? • A decision-making tool • "Materials prepared for decision-makers to show that the proposed idea is a good one and that the numbers that surround it make good financial sense“ (Reifer) • It’s not a: • Wouldn’t-this-be-cool case • Technical specification • Tool to get buy-in from non-decision-makers

4. How do you make the case? • Think before you write • Find out what resources are available to you • Decide on the appropriate approach • Structure your argument • Gather supporting data • Ask for what you want! Make your recommendation

5. Think before you write • Understand the problem and the alternatives • Know what you want • Understand your audience • Understand your environment • Be prepared to use logic and reason, but understand that it’s not all about logic and reason

6. Understand your audience • Know who the real decision maker is • Know who the influencers are • Understand the psychology of the decision maker • Understand the strengths and weaknesses of the decision maker • Know what their interests and agendas are

7. Understand your environment • Economy • Culture • Politics • Tradition • Competition/opponents • Allies • Process • Noise

8. Find out what resources are available to you • Old business cases (successful and unsuccessful) • Sample cases or checklists from books and websites • Consultants and experts • Business analysts • Buyers • Vendors

9. Decide on the appropriate approach • Formal written business case or informal conversation? • Use language they understand, define terms

10. Structure your argument • Typical components of a business case • Subject, purpose, objectives • Methods and assumptions • Business impacts with timeline • Sensitivity, risks, contingencies • Conclusions and recommendations

11. Gather supporting data • Use business measures (not technical justifications) they can understand • Time to market • Cost • Productivity • Quality • Competition • Benefits and costs • Critical success factors

12. Gather supporting data (continued) • Consider industry averages and benchmarks • Focus more on management accounting measures more than financial accounting measures (predictive more than historical) • Check your numbers, define them clearly • Include intangibles, but focus on tangibles – don’t get sneaky • Be prepared to have your credibility questioned – it’s not personal • Beware: “Numbers will come back to haunt you.” (Reifer)

13. Ask for what you want! Make your recommendation • Think through counterarguments, include pros and cons • Recommending choice A over B and C often better than asking for Yes or No on single item • Consider separable decisions separately • Have a decision-making timeline • Have a Plan B

14. For more information • Fisher, Roger and William Ury. Getting to Yes. New York: Penguin Books, 1981. • Frank, Milo O. How to Get Your Point Across in 30 Seconds – or Less. New York: Simon and Schuster Audio, 1999. • Reifer, Donald J. “Business Case Analysis.” http://64.233.161.104/search?q=cache:d2Y562SeT-0J:sunset.usc.edu/events/2001/ • Schmidt, Marty J. The Business Case Guide. Boston, MA: Solution Matrix Ltd., 2002.