Business Case in Practice – From Goal to Decision and Implementation

Characteristics

In daily work, I sometimes start with strategy, and sometimes the starting point is specific situations: something isn't working, something needs improvement, a new idea appears, market pressure, or management expectations. That's when a key question arises: how to translate goals and needs into meaningful initiatives that are truly worth implementing?

This course is aimed at people facing this exact transition moment – between goal and action, between idea and the decision to launch an initiative. For those who prepare, evaluate, or execute strategies, ventures, and projects, and need a solid business justification for their actions.

The business case is treated here not as a formal document, but as a practical tool for organizing thinking. It helps understand what problem we are truly solving, what action options we have, what the consequences of decisions will be, and whether a given initiative makes sense from the organization's perspective.

The course takes a workshop format and is based on exercises, examples, and working on real situations known to the participants. Step by step, participants go through the process of preparing a business case – from identifying the problem or opportunity, through analyzing costs, benefits, and risks, to formulating recommendations supporting start / stop / continue decisions.

The aim of the course is to show how to prepare initiatives for execution in a simple and structured way – so that decisions are conscious and projects actually support achieving goals instead of generating further doubts and chaos.

What you will improve thanks to the course

• You will structure how decisions about initiatives are made: less "gut feeling" intuition, more criteria and transparency.
• You will learn to distinguish symptoms from causes and precisely define a business problem.
• You will build action options (including "do nothing") and present the consequences of decisions in the language of business.
• You will calculate or reasonably estimate costs and benefits and interpret ROI without pretending to be a controlling department.
• You will structure risks and assumption uncertainties and prepare decision scenarios.
• You will prepare an executive summary and arguments tailored to the management board/decision-making committee.

Target Audience

People preparing, evaluating, or implementing strategies, initiatives, and projects: managers, leaders, PMs/PMOs, business analysts, specialists responsible for improvements and changes.

Prerequisites

No formal prerequisites. Basic orientation in organizational business realities and willingness to work on examples from your own environment are welcome.

KNOWLEDGE:

The participant understands the role of the business case in the organization and decision-making processes (governance), knows the differences between a business case and a business plan, understands the components of a business case (executive summary, problem, options, recommendation, implementation plan), and basic analysis methods (SWOT, PESTEL, Porter's 5 forces, MOST).

SKILLS:

The participant can identify a problem or opportunity, map options (including doing nothing), estimate financial/non-financial costs and benefits, build decision scenarios, identify risks and assumption uncertainties, calculate and interpret ROI, and prepare recommendations and executive summaries tailored to decision-makers.

SOCIAL COMPETENCES:

The participant communicates decision arguments clearly, based on data and assumptions, is able to respond to stakeholder questions and concerns, and supports start/stop/continue decision-making based on transparent criteria.

VALIDATION:

Workshop work on cases (business case template: problem, options, costs/benefits/risks, recommendation) + discussion and feedback from the trainer.

1. The Role of the Business Case in the Organization

• What a business case is and its role in decision-making
• Business case vs. business plan – differences in purpose and application
• When a business case is needed (initiatives, projects, changes)
• Target groups of the business case and their expectations

2. Identifying Business Problems and Opportunities

• Defining business problems – symptoms vs. real causes
• Problem root cause analysis
• Identifying and mapping business opportunities
• Impact of problems and opportunities on the organization
• Prioritizing initiatives – what is really worth focusing on

3. Financial Aspects of the Business Case

• Initiative costs: implementation, maintenance, indirect costs
• Financial and non-financial benefits
• Return on Investment (ROI) – how to calculate and interpret it
• Financial risks and assumption uncertainty
• Scenarios of situation development (decision options)

4. Structure and Key Components of a Business Case

• Structure of a business case document
• Executive summary – how to prepare an effective decision-making summary
• Problem description and proposed solution
• Alternatives (including doing nothing)
• Business recommendation
• Implementation plan and high-level timeline

5. Business Case in Venture and Initiative Portfolio Management

• Role of the business case in decision-making and governance processes
• Linking initiatives to organizational goals
• Managing a portfolio of strategic and operational initiatives
• Evaluation, selection, and prioritization of ventures
• Updating the business case during implementation
• Start / stop / continue decisions

Module 6. Motivating Oneself and Others in Teamwork

• SWOT – identifying strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats
• PESTEL – analysis of external factors affecting the initiative
• Porter's Five Forces Analysis – market attractiveness assessment
• MOST – linking the initiative to the organization's direction
• Aligning the initiative with the organizational context

7. Building Decision-Making Argumentation

• Logic of business argumentation – decision-maker's perspective
• Storytelling in business cases – how to talk about an initiative
• Working on data, facts, and assumptions
• Tailoring the message to the management board and decision-making committees
• Answering questions and doubts

8. Summary and Practical Implementation

• Best practices in preparing and managing business cases
• Integrating the business case into the organization's daily work
• Consistency between goals, initiatives, and execution
• Tools and materials supporting further application of the approach