Claude Business Case Writer Prompt
Write a compelling business case that gets decision-maker buy-in and unlocks budget for your project or initiative.
Category
💼 Business
Difficulty
Advanced
Models
2
Last Updated
2026-06-29
Works with
📄 Example output
⚠️ Common Mistakes
❓ FAQ
⚙️ Fill in your variables
📋 Prompt
You are a management consultant who has written business cases approved for £50M+ in budget.
Project: [project name and description]
Organisation: [corporate/startup/public sector/nonprofit]
Decision makers: [CFO/board/department head]
Budget required: [approximate]
Primary benefit: [cost savings/revenue increase/risk reduction/efficiency]
Task:
1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY (250 words): Problem → solution → financial case → recommendation — for someone who will ONLY read this section
2. PROBLEM STATEMENT (300 words): Current state — what's broken, what it costs, evidence, cost of inaction
3. PROPOSED SOLUTION (300 words): What exactly, why this vs alternatives, implementation timeline
4. FINANCIAL ANALYSIS: Costs (one-time + ongoing), benefits (quantified), ROI, payback period
5. RISK ANALYSIS: Top 3 risks — likelihood, impact, mitigation
6. ALTERNATIVES CONSIDERED: 2 alternatives and why rejected
7. RECOMMENDATION: Clear unambiguous ask — what, by when, from whom
8. APPENDIX OUTLINE: Supporting materials to attach
Project: [project name and description]
Organisation: [corporate/startup/public sector/nonprofit]
Decision makers: [CFO/board/department head]
Budget required: [approximate]
Primary benefit: [cost savings/revenue increase/risk reduction/efficiency]
Task:
1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY (250 words): Problem → solution → financial case → recommendation — for someone who will ONLY read this section
2. PROBLEM STATEMENT (300 words): Current state — what's broken, what it costs, evidence, cost of inaction
3. PROPOSED SOLUTION (300 words): What exactly, why this vs alternatives, implementation timeline
4. FINANCIAL ANALYSIS: Costs (one-time + ongoing), benefits (quantified), ROI, payback period
5. RISK ANALYSIS: Top 3 risks — likelihood, impact, mitigation
6. ALTERNATIVES CONSIDERED: 2 alternatives and why rejected
7. RECOMMENDATION: Clear unambiguous ask — what, by when, from whom
8. APPENDIX OUTLINE: Supporting materials to attach
BUSINESS CASE: Marketing AI Prompt Library
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
Our 12-person marketing team uses AI for content but without standardised prompts — quality varies significantly and 30-40% of AI drafts require substantial reworking before meeting publishable standards.
This case recommends a £8,000 investment in a standardised prompt library and training. Conservative estimates: saves ~4 hours editing time per person per week — worth £80,640/year at current loaded rates.
ROI: 1,635% in year 1. Payback period: 3 weeks.
FINANCIAL ANALYSIS:
COSTS:
• Subscription: £840/year (12 seats) | Implementation (5 days): £3,200 | Training: £600
• Total Year 1: £4,640 | Ongoing: £840/year
BENEFITS:
• 4 hours/person/week saved × 12 people × 48 weeks × £35 loaded rate = £80,640/year
ROI: (£80,640 - £4,640) ÷ £4,640 = 1,635%
Payback: 3 weeks
RISK 1: Team adoption — Likelihood: Medium | Impact: High
Mitigation: 2-week pilot with 2 team champions before full rollout
RECOMMENDATION:
Approve £8,000 for a 6-month pilot starting [date]. Review ROI at month 3 with go/no-go on permanent adoption.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
Our 12-person marketing team uses AI for content but without standardised prompts — quality varies significantly and 30-40% of AI drafts require substantial reworking before meeting publishable standards.
This case recommends a £8,000 investment in a standardised prompt library and training. Conservative estimates: saves ~4 hours editing time per person per week — worth £80,640/year at current loaded rates.
ROI: 1,635% in year 1. Payback period: 3 weeks.
FINANCIAL ANALYSIS:
COSTS:
• Subscription: £840/year (12 seats) | Implementation (5 days): £3,200 | Training: £600
• Total Year 1: £4,640 | Ongoing: £840/year
BENEFITS:
• 4 hours/person/week saved × 12 people × 48 weeks × £35 loaded rate = £80,640/year
ROI: (£80,640 - £4,640) ÷ £4,640 = 1,635%
Payback: 3 weeks
RISK 1: Team adoption — Likelihood: Medium | Impact: High
Mitigation: 2-week pilot with 2 team champions before full rollout
RECOMMENDATION:
Approve £8,000 for a 6-month pilot starting [date]. Review ROI at month 3 with go/no-go on permanent adoption.
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💡 Pro Tips
Best model for this prompt
Claude
Claude (Opus 4 / Sonnet 4)
Executive summary is the most important section — write it last but most decision-makers only read this
Quantify everything — 'improved efficiency' is ignored; '£80,640 in recovered staff time' gets approved
The risk section builds credibility — thinking through failure makes the recommendation more trustworthy, not less
Show alternatives considered — without it, decision-makers ask 'did you consider X?' and your case looks incomplete
Starting with the solution instead of the problem — they must believe the problem exists before caring about your solution
Vague financial claims — 'significant time savings' is not a benefit; a specific figure is
No risk section — business cases without risk analysis appear naive
Asking for too much upfront — a phased approach with a pilot is far easier to approve
- How long?Executive summary: 1 page. Full case: 4-8 pages plus appendix. Decision-makers read the summary and skim financials — the full document supports questions.
- Can't quantify benefits?Quantify what you can, describe the unquantifiable qualitatively. Lead with numbers — don't ignore qualitative benefits but don't lead with them.
- How to pre-sell before formal submission?Brief key stakeholders informally. Their questions tell you what to address in the document. Pre-existing support dramatically increases approval rates.
- Best model?Claude — maintains formal professional register, performs calculations accurately (always verify independently), and structures evidence-based arguments with precision.