Making The Compelling Business Case: Decision-making Techniques For Successful Business Growth

Making the Compelling Business Case This page intentionally left blank Making the Compelling Business Case Decision-Making Techniques for Successful Business Growth Wolfgang Messner Associate Professor, MYRA School of Business & Director, GloBus Research © Wolfgang Messner 2013 Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2013 All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made without written permission. No portion of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted save with written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, or under the terms of any licence permitting limited copying issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency, Saffron House, 6–10 Kirby Street, London EC1N 8TS. Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages. The author has asserted his right to be identified as the author of this work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. First published 2013 by PALGRAVE MACMILLAN Palgrave Macmillan in the UK is an imprint of Macmillan Publishers Limited, registered in England, company number 785998, of Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS. Palgrave Macmillan in the US is a division of St Martin’s Press LLC, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010. Palgrave Macmillan is the global academic imprint of the above companies and has companies and representatives throughout the world. Palgrave® and Macmillan® are registered trademarks in the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe and other countries. ISBN 978–1–137–34056–6 This book is printed on paper suitable for recycling and made from fully managed and sustained forest sources. Logging, pulping and manufacturing processes are expected to conform to the environmental regulations of the country of origin. A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. A catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress. Typeset by MPS Limited, Chennai, India. ISBN  DOI 10.107/ ISBN  (eBook) Reviews CORPORATE LEADERS “A useful, pragmatic, how-to-do-it book. The value proposition of a corporate investment has always been about reducing costs or increasing revenue. Messner shows companies how to ensure that projects are really doing that. It is this process of leveraging project expenditure which makes organizations successful.” – Heinz-Paul Bonn Vice President BITKOM (Germany) “This superb text provides a powerful ensemble of formula, techniques, and guidelines for business case success. Comprehensive and complete, it is the long-thought link between financial business case mathematics and stakeholder management.” – Horst Ellermann Editor in Chief CIO Magazine (Germany) “It is amazing how much the quality of business cases varies in both preparation and subsequent execution. Messner vi Reviews brings the voice of experience resulting in a clear, comprehensive, and up-to date guide on building solid business cases. You should have it on your bookshelf and consult it frequently.” – John Knowles CIO Allianz Insurance (UK) “Today’s information technology landscape is increasingly multifaceted and at the same time increasingly critical to business success. Its complex projects come with significant costs and are not easy to weigh up against each other. Funds are restricted and the company’s financial management keeps on challenging project justifications. A business case is the one and only instrument for the project originator to present all necessary facts: costs, benefits, risks, and strategic options. But it does not end here – even the best business case with the best net present value still needs to be