Bulletproof Your Business Case

No matter when or how you present your business case for review, there will be a sinister, uninvited stranger in the room. You can't bar him from the meeting. You can't prevent him from speaking to everyone present.

Solution Matrix (2006). Articles>Business Communication>Business Case

Business Case Critics: De-Clawing the Cat?

There are some things you don’t want to hear when your business case is under review.

Solution Matrix (2005). Articles>Business Communication>Business Case

Does Time Equal Money in the Business Case?

The most frequently used calculation in business case analysis is the 'Time = Money' equation, where Benefits = (time saved) * (the cost of labor). Using this equation blindly, however, can result in seriously overstated benefits.

Solution Matrix (2005). Articles>Business Communication>Business Case

Encyclopedia of Business Case Terms

A business case is a tool that supports planning and decision-making, including decisions about whether to buy, which vendor to choose, and when to implement.

Solution Matrix. Reference>Encyclopedias>Business Communication>Writing

Labor Costs can Make or Break the Case: Which Way Should This Manager Go?

When your business case deals with a project or program, labor costs may be the largest single cost category, by far. Labor costs can even loom large in in a major capital expenditure (CAPEX) business case, if the acquisition comes with a serious need for operating and maintenance support (as in many IT CAPEX requests, for instance). How well you handle the labor costs can make or break the case.

Solution Matrix (2006). Articles>Business Communication>Management>Business Case

ROI Doesn't Have to be a Four-Letter Word

If you know ahead of time where the risks are, you can manage them (or at least watch them) and avoid unpleasant surprises down the road.

Solution Matrix (2006). Articles>Business Communication>Business Case

ROI That Never Arrives: The Devil is in the Assumptions

ROI estimates in business fail primarily because managers give too much attention to the 'pay out' odds, and too little attention to measuring and managing 'probability' odds. A good risk and sensitivity analysis of the assumptions behind the predictions allows you to do both.

Solution Matrix (2006). Articles>Business Communication>Business Case

What You Need to Know About TCO (Total Cost of Ownership)

Is someone not telling the truth? Or, has Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) simply become a meaningless concept? And what, if anything, do customers and vendors need to know about TCO?

Solution Matrix (2006). Articles>Business Communication>Business Case>ROI

Why Do Business Cases Fail? What Can You Do About It?

A business case may predict excellent results yet still fail to 'make the case.' We see project managers, IT directors, sales people, and others who have just had the painful experience: they predicted great cash flow, high ROI, and short payback - and still got a thumbs down from top management.

Solution Matrix (2006). Articles>Business Communication>Rhetoric>Business Case