When Business Cases Challenge the Status Quo

How one business case model changed how a global organisation viewed IT investments

The Undertaking

Taking on the challenge of creating a business case is not something to be done lightly. It’s an exercise that tests both analytical thinking and emotional endurance — but it’s also one of the most satisfying professional experiences you can have.

Why? Because building a business case means introducing change. And change, as most of us know, rarely comes without resistance.

The Pushback

When I first got the go-ahead to develop a business case model for a global multinational company, I was proud — and slightly naïve about what was coming next.

To my surprise, some of the most senior leaders opposed me outright. Controllers begged me to stop because they couldn’t grasp how quantifiable KPIs could support investment decisions. The concept of tracking benefits and tying them to ownership was simply too foreign.

But I persisted.

I developed a model, gained traction, and eventually got 33 business cases signed off within the first year, each with identified owners and committed benefit targets.

The Turning Point

After that, I looked back at three years of past investments, mapping owners and the amounts they had committed to deliver.

When budgeting season arrived, one of our biggest sectors demanded a massive cut to the IT budget. Their reasoning seemed simple — but when I looked at the data, it didn’t make sense.

The very sector asking for cuts had been driving the increase in IT spend through their own business cases. So, I pulled out the report — every project, every owner, every committed benefit — and presented it to the CFO.

That moment changed everything.

The CFO could clearly see that the largest cash-generating results came from those very IT investments. The proposed “across-the-board” cut — the kind so many organizations still make today — would have effectively severed the veins keeping the business alive.

The Outcome

Armed with the facts, the CFO challenged every investment owner on the list. A few months later, IT wasn’t downsized — it was expanded.

Twenty new project managers were hired to support the business in continuing to drive value through technology.

The Lesson

Building a business case isn’t just about numbers.It’s about visibility, accountability, and making sure the organisation understands where value is actually created.

A well-built business case can transform perceptions — turning what many see as a cost centre into a proven value driver.

So yes, taking on a business case is hard. You’ll get challenged, questioned, and occasionally doubted. But if you stay the course, the reward isn’t just organisational change — it’s knowing you helped shift the mindset from cost cutting to value creation.

Monica Laszlo, BlinC’s CEO & Principal Value Strategist

About the Author

Monica Laszlo is a value realisation strategist passionate about helping organisations connect investments to measurable outcomes. She has led global initiatives in business case modeling, benefit tracking, and IT value realization across multiple industries.