Find a Champion for Your Business Case

Harvard Business Review

The Management Tip of the Day

Adapted from the HBR Guide to Building Your Business Case eBook + Tools

When preparing a case for a new project or initiative, be sure you have someone at a senior level who will lobby for it. Look at each member of the committee: Whose goals and concerns will your project most directly address? Reach out and ask what his or her department is trying to achieve in the coming year. Get a sense of what big projects are under way and which efforts need more support. Explain how your initiative can help fill in gaps or address trouble spots. Of course, having someone influential on your side does little good without a strong case that meets a business need, a solid project concept, and well thought-out financials. If any of those elements are missing, even a powerful champion can’t help you.