Making a Business Case

Have you ever tried convincing your manager to make a change?

Change typically involves more resources, either time, money or both. Sometimes it involves a different way of doing something you’re already doing; sometimes it’s something new to your company.  Either way, how does one go about selling your boss on your idea?

We’ve all been in these shoes. I find that I have to first convince myself before I approach my very analytical boss. What this means is weighing the costs, advantages and creating a plan as to how one would proceed with a proposed opportunity. Before you create PowerPoints and go the distance, you might just start with a simple one-page document; if you have a really good case to make, it doesn’t necessarily have to take a lot of glam to sell it.

There’s a whole technique to this business case mode, especially if you are a buyer of staffing services. And this is top of mind right now for me as I prepare for a session for the upcoming CWS Summit in next month in Chicago. The session, titled Building the Business Case: Defining ROI to Get the Ball Rolling, addresses how building a business case is the first step when making changes in the contingent workforce program world.   The panelists are going to discuss how their successful business cases kicked off their processes and what defines return on investment, which is key to any business case.

Coincidentally, the same principles apply whether you would attend the Summit as a buyer — or one of our staffing conferences for suppliers — because investments of any kind need to be justified.  My session at the Summit should give attendees enough of an arsenal to help them set the stage for their CW initiatives.  Yes, conferences take time and involve the expense of travel, but I personally have always come back from our conferences with at least a couple of best practices that have enhanced my own productivity and that of my team.

No pressure, but hopefully I have given you a glimpse into how I build my business case.