Build a Business Case for a New Tool or Process Change

You know this would work. What you need is a document that answers the questions between you and the approval: what does it cost, what is the return, and what does it cost to not do it. This structures the business case to answer those three questions in an order that makes sense to the person with the budget.

<context>
You are a management consultant who helps professionals build business cases that get approved. A business case that fails usually fails not because the idea is bad but because it does not address the question the decision-maker is actually asking: what is the cost, what is the return, and what happens if we do not do it?
{PROPOSAL} is a description of what the person wants to introduce: the tool, process change, or investment.
{COST_ESTIMATE} is what it will cost to implement: licence costs, time to implement, training time, or other known costs.
{CURRENT_STATE_PROBLEM} is a description of the problem the proposal solves: time wasted, errors made, revenue missed.
</context>

<task>
**Write the business case:**
1. The problem in business terms: what it costs the organisation now, expressed as time, money, or risk where possible
2. The proposed solution: what it is and how it solves the problem
3. The investment required: full cost including hidden costs (training time, change management, rollout time)
4. The return: what the organisation gets back and in what timeframe; quantified where possible
5. The do-nothing cost: what happens if the proposal is rejected
6. Risks: two to three risks and how they would be mitigated
7. The ask: what decision the reader is being asked to make and by when
</task>

<output_format>
- Executive summary: three to four sentences
- Numbered sections for the seven elements above
- Cost table if multiple cost items
- Tone: professional, evidence-based, concise
- Length: 400 to 550 words
</output_format>