Business Case
Build defensible business cases with ROI analysis, risk assessment, and executive recommendations
by bitwize-music-studioConsulting & Professional ServicesManagement ConsultingStrategy ConsultantCorporate StrategyWhat You Can Do
You can rapidly synthesize financial projections, cost-benefit analysis, risk assessments, and implementation timelines into a comprehensive business case that answers whether an initiative should be funded. Claude analyzes your problem statement or opportunity to produce executive summaries, detailed financial models, risk registers, and clear go/no-go recommendations—the artifact that moves proposals from concept to funded initiative.
Features
produces concise, decision-ready summaries that frame the business problem and recommendation for C-suite review
calculates total cost of ownership (TCO), identifies tangible and intangible benefits, and presents net present value (NPV) with sensitivity analysis
models return on investment across multiple scenarios (conservative, base case, optimistic) with payback period and IRR calculations
identifies operational, financial, technical, and organizational risks with probability, impact scoring, and mitigation strategies
breaks down phased delivery, resource requirements, dependencies, and key milestones with realistic timelines
evaluates multiple options side-by-side with weighted scoring for steering committee discussion
maps organizational, financial, and operational effects across departments and job functions
delivers pre-formatted spreadsheet-ready tables for CFO presentations and board materials
Example Output
Executive Summary Output:
- Initiative: Cloud Migration (SAP to Workday)
- Recommended Decision: GO
- 3-Year NPV: $2.4M | Payback Period: 18 months | IRR: 24%
Cost-Benefit Breakdown:
- Implementation Costs: $1.2M (Year 1)
- Annual Operating Savings: $580K (labor efficiency, maintenance reduction)
- Risk-Adjusted Benefit: $1.8M (accounts for 15% adoption delay)
Risk Register Sample:
| Risk | Probability | Impact | Mitigation |
|---|---|---|---|
| User adoption lag | Medium | High | Early training + champion network |
| System integration delays | Medium | Medium | Phased rollout + vendor SLA penalties |
Implementation Timeline:
- Q1 2024: Vendor selection, team staffing (4 weeks)
- Q2-Q3: Build & test environments (12 weeks)
- Q4: Pilot with Finance team (8 weeks)
- Q1 2025: Full production launch
What's Included
- SKILL.md instruction file: detailed guidance on problem framing, stakeholder input, and decision gates
- Business Case Template: modular sections for executive summary, financial analysis, risk register, and implementation plan
- Financial Model Worksheet: cost-benefit framework with built-in scenario modeling (conservative/base/optimistic)
- Risk Assessment Checklist: structured taxonomy of operational, financial, technical, and organizational risks
- Implementation Roadmap Framework: phased delivery structure with resource planning and dependency mapping
Who It's For
- Business Analysts — preparing investment justifications for steering committees or portfolio managers
- Strategy Consultants — building defensible recommendations for client C-suites and boards
- Program & Project Managers — developing business cases for new initiatives, system implementations, or process improvements
- Operations Leaders — justifying operational restructuring, technology investments, or vendor transitions
- Finance Business Partners — translating strategic proposals into financially rigorous investment cases
Best For
- New product or service launch evaluations
- Technology platform implementations (ERP, cloud migration, digital transformation)
- Process improvement or operational efficiency initiatives
- Make-versus-buy and vendor selection decisions
- Organizational restructuring or headcount investment proposals
- Capital expenditure (CapEx) funding requests
- Competitive proposal comparisons for resource allocation
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