Making the Case for Change: Using Effective Business Cases to Minimize Project and Innovation Failures

Content: Getting Started with the Business Case-Activity 1: Set the Proposal Context and Stimulus  Introduction  Preparation Activities (PA): Initiating the Business Case Development (BCD) Process       Task PA 1: Prepare a Mission Statement and Select a BCD Team Leader            List of the Top 20 Attributes of an Effective BCD Team Leader       Task PA 2: Understanding the Role of the VPD Team       Task PA 4: Creating the Stimulus Blueprint  Inputs to the BCD Process  Activity 1: Set the Proposal Context and Stimulus       Task 1.1: Create the BCD Team       Task 1.2: Preparing the BCD Team       Task 1.3: Analysis of Proposed Project\'s Input Documents       Task 1.4: Does the Proposal Meet the Required Ground Rules to Prepare a Business Case?       Task 1.5: If the Answer to 1.4 Is \"No,\" Then Take Appropriate Action  Summary   Activity 2: Define the Sponsor\'s Role and Test Alignment to Organizational Objectives  Introduction  Activity 2: Define the Sponsor\'s Role and Test Alignment to Organizational Objectives Task 2.1: Define the Business Case Sponsor\'s Role in the BCD Process Task 2.2: Align the Project/Initiative with Strategic Goals and Objectives Summary  Activity 3: Prepare the BCD Team\'s Charter and Output Introduction Task 3.1: Develop the BCD Team\'s Charter Task 3.2: Define the Business Case Final Report      Brief Explanation of the Sample Document Elements      Change Management Action Plan      Summary of Task 3.2 Summary Reference  Activity 4: Patents and Other Intellectual Property Considerations Introduction Task 4.1: Is the Idea/Concept an Original Idea/Concept?      Questions to Ask to Protect against Copyright Problems      Internal Communications Issues Task 4.2: Start The Patent/Copyright Process Summary References  Activity 5: Collecting Relevant Information/Data Introduction Alignment of Tasks in Chapters 5, 6, and 7 Resistance to Change Implementation Costs Task 5.1: Characterizing the Current State      Product or Service-Related Changes      Accuracy of Current State Measurements Task 5.2: Characterizing Proposed Future State      Four Factors to Consider and the Common Positive and Negative Impacts           Estimating the Positive Impacts      Characterizing Projected Future State for a Proposed Product or Process Improvement Project      Product Future State           Characterizing Refinements to a Current Product           Characterizing the Replacement of a Current Product with New Product           Characterizing a New Product That Represents a New Product Line Task 5.3: Define the Proposed Future State Assumptions Task 5.4: Define the Implementation Process Task 5.5: Define the Major Parameters Related to the Proposal Task 5.6: Define the Quality and Type of Data to Be Collected and Prioritized      Factor 1: Measuring the Current State      Factor 2: Measuring the Future State after the Project Has Been Implemented           Types of Measures           Data Disciplines      Factor 3: Collecting Data to Estimate the Proposed Project\'s Impact on the Parameters      Factor 4: Estimating the Cost of Defining and Implementing the Changes to the Process or the New/Refined Product Task 5.7: Develop the Data Collection Plan      Business Case Research Relevance to Data Quality      Basic Components of Business Case Data Quality      Problems with Business Case Data Collection      Business Case Sampling      On the Cost of Sampling      Some Business Case Data Analysis Tools           Tools, Techniques, and Methods Used           Data Analysis Checklist           Step 1: Clearly Defined Goals           Step 2: Operational Definitions and Methodology           Step 3: Ensuring Repeatability, Reproducibility, Accuracy, and Stability           Step 4: Sampling, Stratification, and Prioritization           Tools, Techniques, and Methods Used Task 5.8: Collecting Process/Product Installation-Related Data/Information      Collecting Product Related Data      Collecting Project/Initiative Implementation Data      Data Collection Summary Summary Reference  Activity 6: Projected Improvement Analysis Introduction Task 6.1: Characterize the Current State of the Parameters Identified in the Tasks Defined in Chapter 5 Task 6.2: Estimate the Degree of Change That Will Be Brought about as a Result of the Project for Each of the Affected Parameters      Case Study Number One Task 6.3: Compare the Estimated Degree of Change to That Projected by the Individual or Group That Originated the Project Task 6.4: Determine if the Improvement Justifies Continuing the Analysis      Case Study Number Two Summary  Activity 7: Developing Proposed Project Recommendations, Estimates of Resources, and Return on Investment (ROI) Introduction Task 7.1: Develop an Estimate of Resources Required to Implement the Proposed Project      Parametric Model Estimation      Total Cost Estimation      Simulation Model Estimation      Reserve Analysis Estimation      PERT or 3-Point Estimation      Published Data Estimation      Analogous Estimation      Vendor Bid Analysis Estimation      Expert Judgment Estimation Task 7.2: Perform a Sensitivity, Safety, and Risk Analysis and Develop Mitigation Plans      Sensitivity Analysis Task 7.3: Calculate Value Added to the Organization Task 7.4: Develop Proposed Project/Initiative Recommendations Summary  Activity 8: Presenting the Business Case to the Executive Committee Introduction Task 8.1: Prepare the Business Case Final Report      Business Case Final Report Outline Summary      Executive Summary Task 8.2: Set Up a Meeting with the Executive Team      Scheduling the Executive Team Meeting           Meeting Agenda      Preparation for Executive Team Meeting Task 8.3: Present Findings and Recommendations to the Executive Team Task 8.4: Project/Initiative Approval Decisions Task 8.5: The Project/Initiative Is Approved Task 8.6: Proposal Is Rejected Task 8.7: Prepare an Initial Project Mission Statement Task 8.8: Closure of the BCD Team Summary Summary of the Business Case Development Process  Appendix A  Appendix B  Appendix C  Appendix D  Index