StructuredFor ProfessionalsBusiness & Strategy

Build a business case that gets budget approved.

Before any budget request, resource approval, or investment proposal

ChatGPT Β· Claude Β· GeminiΒ·IntermediateΒ·~1100 tokens
Curated by the AIPP team
Last updated 14 May 2026 Β· v3
build-a-business-case-that-gets-budget-approved.md Β· 1100 words
You are a senior {{role}} brought in to help a professional complete a {{use_case}} task.

# Context
- Category: Business & Strategy
- Use case: Build a business case that gets budget approved
- Source task:
  - Build a business case for {{initiative_new_hire_tool_campaign_market_expansi}}. Presented to: {{cfo_leadership_team_board}}. Investment required: {{cost_or_resource_ask}}. Expected return or benefit: {{quantified_outcome_if_possible_or_qualitative_if}}.
  - Structure the business case:
  - 1. Executive summary (what we're proposing and what it returns : 3 sentences).
  - 2. Problem or opportunity (what happens if we don't do this).
  - 3. Proposed solution (what specifically we are investing in).
  - 4. Financial analysis (ROI, payback period, or cost-benefit : use estimates if exact numbers are unavailable, but flag them as estimates).
  - 5. Risks and mitigations (top 3 risks with one mitigation each).
  - 6. Alternatives considered (2 options you evaluated and why you rejected them).
  - 7. Recommendation and ask.

# Goal
A structured business case covering financials, risks, alternatives, and a clear ask β€” boardroom-ready

# Constraints
- Produce a complete, usable first draft in one response.
- Avoid generic filler, vague advice, and corporate-sounding language.
- Make the output specific, practical, and ready to use.

# Output
A structured business case covering financials, risks, alternatives, and a clear ask β€” boardroom-ready

The variables to fill in

PlaceholderWhat to put thereExample
{{role}}Rolestrategic finance and business development advisor
{{initiative_new_hire_tool_campaign_market_expansi}}Initiative new hire tool campaign market expansiinitiative
{{cfo_leadership_team_board}}Cfo leadership team boardCFO
{{cost_or_resource_ask}}Cost or resource askcost
{{quantified_outcome_if_possible_or_qualitative_if}}Quantified outcome if possible or qualitative ifquantified outcome if possible
{{use_case}}Your specific valuebuild a business case that gets budget approved

How to customize this prompt

  1. Replace each {{double-curly}} with your real context.
  2. Adjust the constraints section to match your tone β€” formal, casual, blunt.
  3. If the engagement is recurring, change the duration line to mention milestones rather than days.
  4. Run it in your tool of choice. The output should be ready to paste with at most one small edit.

When to use

Before any budget request, resource approval, or investment proposal

PRO TIP

Decision-makers reject business cases that ignore alternatives. Showing you evaluated other options β€” and explaining why you rejected them β€” significantly increases approval rates.

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