HBR Guide to Building Your Business Case (HBR Guide Series)

by Raymond Sheen, Amy Gallo (With)

Overview

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

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781633690035
Publisher:	Harvard Business Review Press
Publication date:	06/16/2015
Series:	HBR Guide Series
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	176
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

Raymond Sheen, PMP, is the president of Product&Process Innovation, a consulting firm specializing in project management, product development, and process improvement. Amy Gallo is a contributing editor at Harvard Business Review and is the author of the forthcoming HBR Guide to Managing Conflict at Work.

Table of Contents

Introduction xi

Success is enabling a wise decision.

Section 1 Prepare

1 Know the Basics of Making a Case 3

You're telling a story about how to meet a business need.

2 Learn How Your Company Evaluates Cases 7

Seek counsel from those who know what wilt fly.

Section 2 Get to Know Your Audience

3 Figure Out Who's Calling the Shots 13

Who really has the authority to give your project the green light?

4 Understand Your Audience's Objectives 17

Find out what your stakeholders care about.

Section 3 Build the Case

5 Clarify the Need 25

What pain are you trying to alleviate? What opportunity are you pursuing?

6 Build a Cross-Functional Team 33

You need multiple perspectives to find the right solution.

7 Consider Alternatives 37

The tough part is ruling out options.

8 Think Through the "How" at a High Level 43

Pave the way for realistic estimates.

Section 4 Crunch the Numbers

9 Estimate Costs and Benefits 49

Peg them to categories in your company's P&L.

10 Calculate ROI 61

Spreadsheets make it fairly painless.

11 Account for Risks 79

Weigh the "what ifs."

Section 5 Present Your Case and Move Forward

12 Prepare Your Document 87

Summarize your story and support it with data.

13 Shop Your Case Around 93

Drum up support before decision time.

14 Are You Ready to Present? 97

Use this brief checklist to make sure you've covered alt the bases.

15 Make Your Pitch 99

Appeal directly to decision makers.

16 Get to a Decision i°5

"Yes" is meaningless unless stakeholders commit resources.

17 What Next? 109

Get started, even if it means heading back to the drawing board.

Appendix A Avoid Common Mistakes 119

Appendix B How to Give a Killer Presentation Chris Anderson Ted Curator 123

Glossary 139

Index 143

About the Authors 149