Begin with the decision you need
An approval meeting should leave the organization with a clear choice. State what you want approved, what it enables, and what remains undecided. A request to fund discovery is different from a request to sign a multi-year service agreement.
Describe the business problem in terms someone outside IT can recognize. For example, a hypothetical branch-network project could start with recurring interruptions to order processing. The case should establish how the interruptions are measured before estimating what an improvement would be worth.
Give the board a view of risk and direction
Explain which operating objective the project supports and the consequences of proceeding, delaying, or changing scope. Separate what the proposed service can influence from the risks the organization will still own.
Use a short decision record: the recommendation, credible alternatives, supporting evidence, unresolved assumptions, and the person accountable for the outcome. Include a review date so the original reasoning can be revisited when circumstances change.
Research context: Gartner’s 2026 CIO Agenda discusses the need to adjust technology plans and connect initiatives to business outcomes. The working approach in this guide is our practical interpretation.
Give the CFO a cost model that can be challenged
Put the expected cost over an agreed period into a worksheet. Include subscriptions, connectivity, installation, migration, internal staff time, support, parallel running, and exit charges where applicable. Mark each figure as a quote, an estimate, or an assumption.
Keep cash savings separate from released staff capacity and avoided risk. If the case depends on a team using time differently, ask that team’s leader to confirm how the change will happen. Test the case with lower adoption, a delayed start, or higher usage. Record which assumptions could change the recommendation.
Use the same evidence for every option
| Item | What to document |
|---|---|
| Business outcome | The measure, current baseline, target, owner, and review date. |
| Alternatives | Keep the current arrangement, improve part of it, or replace it. Explain the limits of each. |
| Cost and assumptions | Confirmed pricing, estimated internal effort, transition costs, and uncertainty. |
| Delivery confidence | Dependencies, acceptance tests, operating ownership, and a response if the pilot fails. |
Ask providers to answer the same requirement. A shorter proposal can be more useful than a polished presentation if it explains the responsibilities and exceptions clearly.
Planning questions for 2027
Treat next year’s plan as a set of commitments with review points. This section is a planning worksheet, not a forecast of what will happen in 2027.
- Which renewal or notice dates would force a decision earlier than expected?
- Which service change depends on another team, carrier, or implementation?
- Which assumptions about users, locations, or business demand need checking?
- What evidence would justify extending a pilot, reducing scope, or stopping the project?
- Who will review the business result after the new service is in use?
Start a Decision Brief with the operating problem and the outcome you want. Use that summary to ask finance, the sponsor, and the delivery team where the case is still weak.
Put the research to work
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