Business Cases

[Raistlin]

Possibly a slightly odd request (I'm getting good at those lately), but would anybody happen to have a good template (or a link to one) for writing business cases? Need to write one for some expenditure on IT equipment, just not sure what the best format is.

Cheers

[Jon T]

Your main goal is is going to be to show how the new IT equipment will make currrent staff and procedures more efficient and profitable.

You need to demonstrate that whatever ICT provision is in use currently is limiting the profit that is currently able to be made, and that spending on new equipment will yeild a higher profit and therfore pay for itself in the long run.

Remember to include a study on the amount of time it currently takes to complete something, against the amont of time that you predict the new equipment will enable the same operation to be completed in, TIME=MONEY!

[Raistlin]

Hi Jon,

Thanks for that.

We're a 'non-profit' organisation, so the increase in income yield isn't an issue here, your point is taken about showing how the expenditure will give increases in those areas that are measured though (efficiency, time, staff resource, etc).

Thanks.

[Uncle Peter]

You should also Include in your business case a section about the impact on your organisation if this investment in IT equipment were not progressed.

[Jon T]

Originally Posted by Raistlin

Hi Jon,

Thanks for that.

We're a 'non-profit' organisation, so the increase in income yield isn't an issue here, your point is taken about showing how the expenditure will give increases in those areas that are measured though (efficiency, time, staff resource, etc).

Thanks.

Point taken, I work for a "non-profit" organisation also(an environmental regeneration charity), what may be relevent is the fact that you are probably funded by one or more funders, therfore it is important to stress that new IT provisons may enable that funding to go further, i.e. a person who take 2 days do a job could do it in 1 day with better IT. Therfore freeing them up to move on to do something else.
(this may not be the case, depending on the nature of your non-profit business)

[Wicked_and_Crazy]

Originally Posted by Raistlin

We're a 'non-profit' organisation, so the increase in income yield isn't an issue here

I would suggest you are wrong. Even if the org is non profit making, being more efficient is still import so that the funds you have can stretch further.

Without doing some sort of Cost Benefit Analysis how can you understand if its worth spending the money or not. Thats the whole point of a business case.

---------- Post added at 18:46 ---------- Previous post was at 18:45 ----------

Originally Posted by Uncle Peter

You should also Include in your business case a section about the impact on your organisation if this investment in IT equipment were not progressed.

And the cost of maintaining what ever your buying