Preparing the Business Case

A good business case is the foundation for success of any web, social media, intranet or online marketing project.  If we can get the business case right, we will start out with a clear and realistic vision for what we’re trying to do; we’ll have support from key stakeholders; and we’ll have strong justification for the resources we need.

However, preparing a business case is hard.  Organisations often demand far more information than we actually have at the start of a project.  We often run into organisational politics as we build the case for our projects.  It’s easy to get caught up in financial details, overlooking the value of a business case in setting a clear strategic vision.  And so on.

This half-day course looks at the content of a business case and discusses ways to address some of the problems of preparing one.  It covers:

• Case study exercise
• Reasons for writing a business case
• Contents of a business case
• Tailoring the case to your organisation
• Types of benefit
• Lifecycle of a business case
• Gaining approval
• Risks and success factors

“The workshop on the Business Case was very insightful, relevant to my job, and full of practical advice.  I particularly liked how the exercise was structured, because the interaction wasn't limited to a small subgroup, and it got practically everyone involved, interested and engaged.  Both the contents of the workshop and the style of delivery was well above my expectations”

Course Participant, J.Boye Aarhus 2011

Instructor: Graham Oakes helps people untangle complex technology, processes, relationships and governance.  He has over 20 years' experience of setting up and delivering web, product development and technology projects in organisations such as Sony Computer Entertainment, Sapient, Vodafone, the Open University, Oxfam, and the Council of Europe.  His book Project Reviews, Assurance and Governance is published by Gower.