Business Case Template
A structured business case covering problem, solution, market, competitive picture, financials and the specific ask — written to survive a finance review rather than an innovation showcase.
Innovation business cases fail on form as often as substance. They arrive as decks when the decision-makers wanted a document, and they lead with the solution when the reader needed the problem.
This template follows the order investment committees actually read in: problem and evidence, proposed solution, market and customer, competitive alternatives, financial projections with assumptions exposed, risks, and a precise ask with milestones attached.
Fill the assumptions section honestly. Cases that flag their weakest assumption tend to get funded more often than cases that hide it.
Structured business case: problem, solution, market, financials and asks. This tool is part of the InnoLead Tools library — a set of editable templates drawn from what our members use to run innovation functions inside large organizations.
- Download the document and drop in your organization's name, logo, and terminology.
- Delete the prompts you don't need; the structure matters more than the boilerplate.
- Circulate a draft to two or three stakeholders before you socialize it broadly.
