business case study guidelines

How to write a case study — examples, templates, and tools

It’s a marketer’s job to communicate the effectiveness of a product or service to potential and current customers to convince them to buy and keep business moving. One of the best methods for doing this is to share success stories that are relatable to prospects and customers based on their pain points, experiences, and overall needs.

That’s where case studies come in. Case studies are an essential part of a content marketing plan. These in-depth stories of customer experiences are some of the most effective at demonstrating the value of a product or service. Yet many marketers don’t use them, whether because of their regimented formats or the process of customer involvement and approval.

A case study is a powerful tool for showcasing your hard work and the success your customer achieved. But writing a great case study can be difficult if you’ve never done it before or if it’s been a while. This guide will show you how to write an effective case study and provide real-world examples and templates that will keep readers engaged and support your business.

In this article, you’ll learn:

What is a case study?

How to write a case study, case study templates, case study examples, case study tools.

A case study is the detailed story of a customer’s experience with a product or service that demonstrates their success and often includes measurable outcomes. Case studies are used in a range of fields and for various reasons, from business to academic research. They’re especially impactful in marketing as brands work to convince and convert consumers with relatable, real-world stories of actual customer experiences.

The best case studies tell the story of a customer’s success, including the steps they took, the results they achieved, and the support they received from a brand along the way. To write a great case study, you need to:

• Celebrate the customer and make them — not a product or service — the star of the story.
• Craft the story with specific audiences or target segments in mind so that the story of one customer will be viewed as relatable and actionable for another customer.
• Write copy that is easy to read and engaging so that readers will gain the insights and messages intended.
• Follow a standardized format that includes all of the essentials a potential customer would find interesting and useful.
• Support all of the claims for success made in the story with data in the forms of hard numbers and customer statements.

Case studies are a type of review but more in depth, aiming to show — rather than just tell — the positive experiences that customers have with a brand. Notably, 89% of consumers read reviews before deciding to buy, and 79% view case study content as part of their purchasing process. When it comes to B2B sales, 52% of buyers rank case studies as an important part of their evaluation process.

Telling a brand story through the experience of a tried-and-true customer matters. The story is relatable to potential new customers as they imagine themselves in the shoes of the company or individual featured in the case study. Showcasing previous customers can help new ones see themselves engaging with your brand in the ways that are most meaningful to them.

Besides sharing the perspective of another customer, case studies stand out from other content marketing forms because they are based on evidence. Whether pulling from client testimonials or data-driven results, case studies tend to have more impact on new business because the story contains information that is both objective (data) and subjective (customer experience) — and the brand doesn’t sound too self-promotional.

Case studies are unique in that there’s a fairly standardized format for telling a customer’s story. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for creativity. It’s all about making sure that teams are clear on the goals for the case study — along with strategies for supporting content and channels — and understanding how the story fits within the framework of the company’s overall marketing goals.

Here are the basic steps to writing a good case study.

1. Identify your goal

Start by defining exactly who your case study will be designed to help. Case studies are about specific instances where a company works with a customer to achieve a goal. Identify which customers are likely to have these goals, as well as other needs the story should cover to appeal to them.

The answer is often found in one of the buyer personas that have been constructed as part of your larger marketing strategy. This can include anything from new leads generated by the marketing team to long-term customers that are being pressed for cross-sell opportunities. In all of these cases, demonstrating value through a relatable customer success story can be part of the solution to conversion.

2. Choose your client or subject

Who you highlight matters. Case studies tie brands together that might otherwise not cross paths. A writer will want to ensure that the highlighted customer aligns with their own company’s brand identity and offerings. Look for a customer with positive name recognition who has had great success with a product or service and is willing to be an advocate.

The client should also match up with the identified target audience. Whichever company or individual is selected should be a reflection of other potential customers who can see themselves in similar circumstances, having the same problems and possible solutions.

Some of the most compelling case studies feature customers who:

• Switch from one product or service to another while naming competitors that missed the mark.
• Experience measurable results that are relatable to others in a specific industry.
• Represent well-known brands and recognizable names that are likely to compel action.
• Advocate for a product or service as a champion and are well-versed in its advantages.

Whoever or whatever customer is selected, marketers must ensure they have the permission of the company involved before getting started. Some brands have strict review and approval procedures for any official marketing or promotional materials that include their name. Acquiring those approvals in advance will prevent any miscommunication or wasted effort if there is an issue with their legal or compliance teams.

3. Conduct research and compile data

Substantiating the claims made in a case study — either by the marketing team or customers themselves — adds validity to the story. To do this, include data and feedback from the client that defines what success looks like. This can be anything from demonstrating return on investment (ROI) to a specific metric the customer was striving to improve. Case studies should prove how an outcome was achieved and show tangible results that indicate to the customer that your solution is the right one.

This step could also include customer interviews. Make sure that the people being interviewed are key stakeholders in the purchase decision or deployment and use of the product or service that is being highlighted. Content writers should work off a set list of questions prepared in advance. It can be helpful to share these with the interviewees beforehand so they have time to consider and craft their responses. One of the best interview tactics to keep in mind is to ask questions where yes and no are not natural answers. This way, your subject will provide more open-ended responses that produce more meaningful content.

4. Choose the right format

There are a number of different ways to format a case study. Depending on what you hope to achieve, one style will be better than another. However, there are some common elements to include, such as:

• An engaging headline
• A subject and customer introduction
• The unique challenge or challenges the customer faced
• The solution the customer used to solve the problem
• The results achieved
• Data and statistics to back up claims of success
• A strong call to action (CTA) to engage with the vendor

It’s also important to note that while case studies are traditionally written as stories, they don’t have to be in a written format. Some companies choose to get more creative with their case studies and produce multimedia content, depending on their audience and objectives. Case study formats can include traditional print stories, interactive web or social content, data-heavy infographics, professionally shot videos, podcasts, and more.

5. Write your case study

We’ll go into more detail later about how exactly to write a case study, including templates and examples. Generally speaking, though, there are a few things to keep in mind when writing your case study.

• Be clear and concise. Readers want to get to the point of the story quickly and easily, and they’ll be looking to see themselves reflected in the story right from the start.
• Provide a big picture. Always make sure to explain who the client is, their goals, and how they achieved success in a short introduction to engage the reader.
• Construct a clear narrative. Stick to the story from the perspective of the customer and what they needed to solve instead of just listing product features or benefits.
• Leverage graphics. Incorporating infographics, charts, and sidebars can be a more engaging and eye-catching way to share key statistics and data in readable ways.
• Offer the right amount of detail. Most case studies are one or two pages with clear sections that a reader can skim to find the information most important to them.
• Include data to support claims. Show real results — both facts and figures and customer quotes — to demonstrate credibility and prove the solution works.

6. Promote your story

Marketers have a number of options for distribution of a freshly minted case study. Many brands choose to publish case studies on their website and post them on social media. This can help support SEO and organic content strategies while also boosting company credibility and trust as visitors see that other businesses have used the product or service.

Marketers are always looking for quality content they can use for lead generation. Consider offering a case study as gated content behind a form on a landing page or as an offer in an email message. One great way to do this is to summarize the content and tease the full story available for download after the user takes an action.

Sales teams can also leverage case studies, so be sure they are aware that the assets exist once they’re published. Especially when it comes to larger B2B sales, companies often ask for examples of similar customer challenges that have been solved.

Now that you’ve learned a bit about case studies and what they should include, you may be wondering how to start creating great customer story content. Here are a couple of templates you can use to structure your case study.

Template 1 — Challenge-solution-result format

• Start with an engaging title. This should be fewer than 70 characters long for SEO best practices. One of the best ways to approach the title is to include the customer’s name and a hint at the challenge they overcame in the end.
• Create an introduction. Lead with an explanation as to who the customer is, the need they had, and the opportunity they found with a specific product or solution. Writers can also suggest the success the customer experienced with the solution they chose.
• Present the challenge. This should be several paragraphs long and explain the problem the customer faced and the issues they were trying to solve. Details should tie into the company’s products and services naturally. This section needs to be the most relatable to the reader so they can picture themselves in a similar situation.
• Share the solution. Explain which product or service offered was the ideal fit for the customer and why. Feel free to delve into their experience setting up, purchasing, and onboarding the solution.
• Explain the results. Demonstrate the impact of the solution they chose by backing up their positive experience with data. Fill in with customer quotes and tangible, measurable results that show the effect of their choice.
• Ask for action. Include a CTA at the end of the case study that invites readers to reach out for more information, try a demo, or learn more — to nurture them further in the marketing pipeline. What you ask of the reader should tie directly into the goals that were established for the case study in the first place.

Template 2 — Data-driven format

• Start with an engaging title. Be sure to include a statistic or data point in the first 70 characters. Again, it’s best to include the customer’s name as part of the title.
• Create an overview. Share the customer’s background and a short version of the challenge they faced. Present the reason a particular product or service was chosen, and feel free to include quotes from the customer about their selection process.
• Present data point 1. Isolate the first metric that the customer used to define success and explain how the product or solution helped to achieve this goal. Provide data points and quotes to substantiate the claim that success was achieved.
• Present data point 2. Isolate the second metric that the customer used to define success and explain what the product or solution did to achieve this goal. Provide data points and quotes to substantiate the claim that success was achieved.
• Present data point 3. Isolate the final metric that the customer used to define success and explain what the product or solution did to achieve this goal. Provide data points and quotes to substantiate the claim that success was achieved.
• Summarize the results. Reiterate the fact that the customer was able to achieve success thanks to a specific product or service. Include quotes and statements that reflect customer satisfaction and suggest they plan to continue using the solution.
• Ask for action. Include a CTA at the end of the case study that asks readers to reach out for more information, try a demo, or learn more — to further nurture them in the marketing pipeline. Again, remember that this is where marketers can look to convert their content into action with the customer.

While templates are helpful, seeing a case study in action can also be a great way to learn. Here are some examples of how Adobe customers have experienced success.

Juniper Networks

One example is the Adobe and Juniper Networks case study , which puts the reader in the customer’s shoes. The beginning of the story quickly orients the reader so that they know exactly who the article is about and what they were trying to achieve. Solutions are outlined in a way that shows Adobe Experience Manager is the best choice and a natural fit for the customer. Along the way, quotes from the client are incorporated to help add validity to the statements. The results in the case study are conveyed with clear evidence of scale and volume using tangible data.

The story of Lenovo’s journey with Adobe is one that spans years of planning, implementation, and rollout. The Lenovo case study does a great job of consolidating all of this into a relatable journey that other enterprise organizations can see themselves taking, despite the project size. This case study also features descriptive headers and compelling visual elements that engage the reader and strengthen the content.

Tata Consulting

When it comes to using data to show customer results, this case study does an excellent job of conveying details and numbers in an easy-to-digest manner. Bullet points at the start break up the content while also helping the reader understand exactly what the case study will be about. Tata Consulting used Adobe to deliver elevated, engaging content experiences for a large telecommunications client of its own — an objective that’s relatable for a lot of companies.

Case studies are a vital tool for any marketing team as they enable you to demonstrate the value of your company’s products and services to others. They help marketers do their job and add credibility to a brand trying to promote its solutions by using the experiences and stories of real customers.

When you’re ready to get started with a case study:

• Think about a few goals you’d like to accomplish with your content.
• Make a list of successful clients that would be strong candidates for a case study.
• Reach out to the client to get their approval and conduct an interview.
• Gather the data to present an engaging and effective customer story.

Adobe can help

There are several Adobe products that can help you craft compelling case studies. Adobe Experience Platform helps you collect data and deliver great customer experiences across every channel. Once you’ve created your case studies, Experience Platform will help you deliver the right information to the right customer at the right time for maximum impact.

To learn more, watch the Adobe Experience Platform story .

Keep in mind that the best case studies are backed by data. That’s where Adobe Real-Time Customer Data Platform and Adobe Analytics come into play. With Real-Time CDP, you can gather the data you need to build a great case study and target specific customers to deliver the content to the right audience at the perfect moment.

Watch the Real-Time CDP overview video to learn more.

Finally, Adobe Analytics turns real-time data into real-time insights. It helps your business collect and synthesize data from multiple platforms to make more informed decisions and create the best case study possible.

Request a demo to learn more about Adobe Analytics.

https://business.adobe.com/blog/perspectives/b2b-ecommerce-10-case-studies-inspire-you

https://business.adobe.com/blog/basics/business-case

https://business.adobe.com/blog/basics/what-is-real-time-analytics

12 Steps to Create a Business Case Study That Converts

Learn how to make a case study presentation. Know how to write and structure it, and measure its business value. Plus examples & samples.

Dominika Krukowska

10 minute read

Short answer

What are the steps to create a case study.

• Determine a customer use case
• Go over existing clients that meet the use case
• Reach out to the clients that you know are happy with your solution
• Set success criteria or KPIs
• Set measurements
• Set time period for observation
• Conduct post interview to assess results
• Get data from client - or process data you own
• Write case study based on interview and data
• Design case study
• Get client’s approval
• Distribute case study

Most case studies inform rather than engage. They earn yawns rather than trust.

A great product or service is only half the battle; the other half is telling its story effectively.

The problem is most case studies are written to inform instead of telling a story. They are dry as a biscuit in the sun. Throwing numbers and company info at prospects won’t make them care, let alone trust you.

Unfortunately most companies don’t realize they're sitting on a gold mine of compelling narratives - their customer success stories.

Not sharing these tales results in missed opportunities, lower brand credibility, and, ultimately, fewer conversions.

Let me take you on a short guide on how to turn your client victories into captivating business case studies that constantly bring you loyal customers.

Let’s see how to uncover your case study material, how to write irresistible success stories, and how to track their engagement and business impact.

Let’s get started!

How to prepare for creating a case study?

Every customer success story is a marketing powerhouse just waiting for you to unlock its potential.

12 steps for creating impactful case studies:

1. Determine a customer use case

Begin by highlighting a problem that your product or service solved for a customer. This scenario should resonate with potential customers facing similar challenges, ensuring your case study feels relevant and impactful to your target audience.

2. Go over existing clients that meet the use case

Once you've defined the use case, scan your existing client list for a standout example. You're looking for someone who's experienced tangible success with your solution, ideally in a way that's inspiring, unexpected, or dramatic.

3. Reach out to the clients that you know are happy with your solution

When you've found a good match, get in touch. Clients who are genuinely delighted with your service will typically be eager to share their experience, and their enthusiasm can give your case study real authenticity and appeal.

Approaching clients with a request to participate in a case study is not trivial. It requires mutual trust and a good working relationship.

Knowing this full well, our CEO Itai Amoza had this tip to give you:

“Always be grateful to your clients. They are doing you a big favor and you shouldn't take this for granted. Aside from thanking them, offering perks like a discount, a bigger package, or even just exposing their brands to your customers can make them feel you really appreciate they have taken the time to do this with you. "

—Itai Amoza, Storydoc Founder and CEO

4. Set success criteria or KPIs

Before diving into the creation process, define what success looks like. Setting clear KPIs will provide concrete, measurable outcomes to demonstrate the effectiveness of your solution.

5. Set measurements

How will you quantify success? Will it be revenue growth? Customer retention ? Decide on the metrics that best align with your defined KPIs and use case.

6. Set time period for observation

Choose a timeframe that's long enough to demonstrate meaningful results, but not so long that the end of your case study feels disconnected from its start. This period should be relevant to your chosen metrics and reasonable within your industry.

7. Conduct post interview to assess results

Once your observation period is over, interview the client to gather their personal insights and feedback. Their perspective can add depth to your data, providing a richer, more complete picture of their experience.

8. Get data from client - or process data you own

Get relevant data from the client or use your own data to validate your story. Remember, this is not just about showcasing positive numbers, but about demonstrating real, meaningful impact on the client’s business.

9. Write the case study based on interview and data

Create a compelling narrative that weaves together your client’s voice, your data, and your solution. Use clear, relatable language to make your case study accessible and engaging.

10. Design the case study

Pay close attention to visual presentation. Use images, graphs, or infographics to make your data digestible and your narrative visually engaging. A well-made case study design can captivate audiences who might not engage with a text-heavy document.

11. Get client’s approval

Before you distribute your case study, make sure your client is happy with how their story is told. Their approval not only maintains a positive relationship, but also validates the truth of your case study.

12. Distribute the case study

Now it’s time to share your case study! Use platforms like LinkedIn and email to reach potential customers with similar profiles.

If you rely a lot on case studies to oil your sales prospecting cascades, don’t miss out on Storydoc’s case study creator . It lets you make amazing, easily shareable and trackable interactive case studies.

But beyond that it makes your distribution and tracking a breeze by connecting with your CRM and letting you send, track, and personalize your case studies directly from there.

Here's what our Salesforce integration looks like:

How to write an impactful case study

A customer success story is much more than a recital of benefits and features. It's the narrative of a journey a customer embarked upon with your product or service, overcoming challenges, and reaching their goals along the way.

Contrary to popular belief, these narratives aren't always about monetary gains. Surprisingly, a Gartner study found that only 13% of case studies showcased clear return on investment (ROI) figures.

Instead, these narratives capture the value and positive impact your offerings have on customers.

They play a dual role: for prospects , they showcase real-life instances of your solution at work, aiding informed purchasing decisions. For existing customers , they act as testimonials, validating their choice and accelerating their learning curve.

However, crafting an impactful customer success story that resonates with prospects is an art few have mastered. Research by Gartner reveals that over 90% of case studies miss the mark.

4-step guide for writing compelling customer success stories

This short guide is based on Gartner's content framework . You can dig deeper into the ins and outs by reading our full guide on how to write a case study .

1. Take an audience-centric approach

First, identify your target audience. Understand their challenges and desires, then find potent stories that address these issues in an engaging manner.

Use tools like customer reviews, sales team insights, surveys, and industry trends to comprehend your audience's concerns and needs.

2. Have a clear storyline

Your story should have a clear beginning, middle, and end. Starting with the customer's problem, then detailing your solution's implementation, and concluding with the positive results achieved.

The spotlight should be on the customer's journey and the value they derived, rather than just your product's features.

Here's our recommended storyline structure:

3. Include relatable elements

Stories that form a personal connection are the most effective. Make your story more relatable by identifying story elements that mirror your prospects' circumstances and demonstrating how your solution can help resolve these issues.

4. Show data-driven results

Use quantifiable metrics like increased sales, improved efficiency, or reduced costs to demonstrate your product's efficacy. Comparing these results with industry standards can further emphasize your product's impact.

Including such data in your customer success stories can significantly reinforce your offering's credibility.

Tips and best practices for creating a case study

Crafting an effective business case study requires more than just laying out the facts. It's about strategically weaving together your narrative to engage, convince, and convert your audience.

Below are some tips and best practices to guide you in creating a business case study.

1. Start with a strong hook

Just like the opening scene of a blockbuster movie, your business case study should begin with a strong hook to instantly capture your audience’s attention.

This could be a compelling quote from the client, a surprising statistic, or a provocative question related to the problem you’re addressing.

Here's an example of an intro slide:

2. Use visuals to support your content

An image can save the need to say a thousand words. Use graphs, charts, infographics, or photographs to supplement your text and bring more clarity with less words.

This not only makes your customer success story more engaging but also makes it easier for readers to quickly grasp the key points.

3. Provide an interactive experience

Making your case study interactive will increase its engagement. Consider embedding interactive elements such as videos, calculators, or clickable tabs to enrich the reader's experience.

All this is easily available to you when creating a case study with Storydoc.

Here are some examples of interactive components you can use:

4. Make it easy for readers to share your case studies

In the age of digital content, sharing should be as effortless as a click. And this is where Storydoc shines. Unlike static downloadable docs, Storydoc allows your readers to easily share your case studies using social buttons and an email form.

Making this process as simple and hassle-free as possible increases the possibility of your case studies getting shared with the world.

Here's a short guide on how to share your presentations with Storydoc:

5. Deliver critical messages directly from clients

Include quotes from the client that highlight the benefits and impact of your solution. Authentic testimonials can significantly enhance your case study's credibility and persuasive power.

Here’s an example I like of a testimonial slide:

6. Be fanatical about clear and concise writing

Avoid industry jargon and keep your language simple and straightforward. The aim is to communicate your customer success story clearly and concisely, making it easy to understand and follow by all readers, regardless of their background.

7. Include a Call to Action (CTA)

Lastly, always include a CTA at the end of your business case study.

This could prompt the reader to contact your sales team, learn more about your product, download a free trial, or any other action that progresses them through your sales funnel.

Here’s how one of our clients added a calendar to book a meeting as their CTA:

How to measure case study business value?

Creating a compelling case study is just half of the equation. To truly harness its power, it's crucial to track and measure its performance effectively.

But if you’re using PDFs or PowerPoints for your case studies you’re flying blind. And if you house your case studies on your website you need to set up custom events on Google Analytics 4 or another third party tracking tool.

If you want out-of-the-box tracking and analytics you have Storydoc. You get practical and timely insights into your case study engagement and conversion from the first second it’s published.

Simply send your decks and Storydoc will track every touchpoint , filling your analytics dashboard with real-time customer data.

Here's some of the tracking you get:

1. Engagement metrics

These reveal how users are interacting with your case study. Key metrics include the number of views, time spent on the page, scroll depth, reading completion, and interactions with interactive elements.

High engagement indicates that your customer success story is resonating with your audience.

2. Conversion metrics

Your case study should have a clear call-to-action (CTA), such as booking a demo, signing up, or downloading a resource.

The number of users who take this action is your conversion rate. A high conversion rate suggests that your case study is persuasive and compelling enough to drive action.

3. Lead generation

If your case study is gated (i.e., requires users to fill out a form to access), you can track how many leads it generates. The quality of these leads—how well they align with your target audience—is equally, if not more, important.

Check out this demo of Storydoc analytics dashboard:

How to design a business case study?

Your case study design is an integral part of the narrative , and a powerful tool that can either underscore your findings or undermine them. As such, it requires careful consideration and strategic decision-making.

Here are 3 common case study design approaches:

1) Design for a website

Creating a case study directly on your website? Now that's an exciting prospect.

Imagine bringing your case study to life with interactive features, painting vivid stories with data visualization tools, and creating an immersive experience for your audience. The sky's the limit with what you can do.

But here's the problem: it's no walk in the park. This approach needs you to roll up your sleeves and manage this project. It will involve your product marketing team, design team, and developers. No way around it.

It’s like guiding a delivery truck to your destination through confusing alleyways. You know how to get there, but telling it to someone else on the phone and on a tight schedule makes it super frustrating.

2) Design for PDFs

PDFs is a common way to design and distribute case studies. They allow you a free canvas for arranging your content according to your exact vision. But there's a catch…

PDFs offer a horrible reading experience. They were originally meant for print so they were built for one fixed (an A4 paper). That’s not how people consume content in the digital age.

Sure you get full control over visuals and typography, but your audience will hate it. They will struggle to read it on their computer. And on their phone? No way.

Bad content experience is the reason we built Storydoc. So don’t kill engagement with PDF case studies. There’s a better way.

3) Design with Storydoc

Storydoc is an intuitive drag-and-drop case study designer tool powered by AI. You’ll turn hours of design into minutes with smart slides and templates built based on what works in the real world and guided by AI.

You won't need to fuss over code or design intricacies; instead, you can focus on what truly matters - the content of your case study.

It’s a simple and magical way to design captivating content with a powerful narrative at its heart.

You don’t just want your case study to inform, do you? You want it to engage, build trust, and convert prospects to clients. That’s what Storydoc does for you.

Grab a case study template

Starting a business case study from scratch can be daunting, like staring at a blank canvas waiting for inspiration to strike.

But, you can bypass the initial jitters by simply using case study templates .

These templates have been designed for engagement based on real-world insights from over 100K presentation sessions and tried-and-tested for any device. They also come with built-in tracking and analytics.

Hi, I'm Dominika, Content Specialist at Storydoc. As a creative professional with experience in fashion, I'm here to show you how to amplify your brand message through the power of storytelling and eye-catching visuals.

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The Plain English Guide to Writing a Business Case

Published: April 01, 2021

Have you ever heard the age-old classic story of a company that got its start from a back-of-the-napkin idea? Or about the start-ups that started in someone's garage?

While all those stories are, of course, inspirational, a huge element that they leave out is that every business started because someone felt the project justified spending time and money on it.

That's why some projects require you to write a business case. Whether you want to start a company, pitch a new product, or perhaps you just want your business to use a new project management tool. Either way, a project that requires time and resources will also require justifying those expenses in the form of a business case.

Below, let's review what a business case is, plus an example and template to inspire your own business case.

What is a business case?

A business case is a document that evaluates whether a project or task makes sense to complete. It will present the reasoning for taking on a project, such as benefits, cost, risk, etc. Essentially, this document makes a case that a project makes business sense to do.

In a business case, you might include the background on a project, expected benefits, costs, risks, and opportunities. This document will justify taking on a certain project. So, how do you develop a business case? Let's dive in below.

Business Case Development

To develop a business case, you'll need to write several key components, including a proposal, strategy, budget, SWOT analysis, and project plan. With these documents, you should be able to prove that the project you're pitching is worth doing.

Let's dive into the steps for how you'll develop a business case below:

1. Research

Before you can write a business case, you need to do your research. First, you should have a goal in mind for your project, whether it's to create a new product, help drive more traffic/leads, or improve user experience.

Write down your goal and then conduct research to prove that your project is the way to achieve your goal.

You can begin by researching what competitors are doing and look for gaps that your project solves.

Start to brainstorm what this project's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats are. Additionally, you'll want to learn about your market -- whoever will be the consumer of the project, even if that's your own team.

Finally, you should start to look into what a budget would look like for your proposed solution.

2. Focus on one component at a time.

A business case will usually include several documents. Focus on one at a time, while keeping your notes organized.

Start with your proposal, then move on to your SWOT analysis, the competitive analysis, the project plan, overall strategy, and then the budget. It can be easy to get lost in just one of these tasks, so focus on one thing at a time to complete the bigger picture business case.

3. Write an implementation plan.

Once you've gathered your research and you're working through each component, it's time to start thinking about implementation.

How will you implement your project? Once you've made the business case that your project should be done, stakeholders will wonder how you'll execute it.

To do this, write an implementation plan that discusses how you'd complete the project and metrics that you'd track to measure success.

Once you're done writing your business case, look at the whole document and ask yourself whether it's comprehensive, measurable, and adaptable.

A business case doesn't need to be an entire business plan for a new product. Sometimes it will be less formal due to the size of the project. Either way, you want to make a strong case for your project, so it should be easy to understand and implement.

Now, let's look at an example of what a business case might look like.

Business Case Example

Now that you've seen what it takes to write a business case and what the process looks like, let's look at an example for inspiration.

In the example below, the project is about getting a new phone system to help the sales staff. Because this is a fairly small project, the business case isn't several pages long with exhaustive research.

However, it's important to keep in mind that while your business case might look something like this for a small scale project, it might include several pages of information if you're pitching something like a new product or a new UI to improve user experience.

The point in the business case is that it's adaptable to be whatever you need. However, the components of the business case will be the same regardless of how long it is. Every business case should include why a project should be done, the benefits, costs, risks, and budget.

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How to Write a Business Case (Template Included)

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What is a business case, how to write a business case, business case template, watch our business case training video, key elements of a business case, how projectmanager helps with your business case.

A business case is a project management document that explains how the benefits of a project overweigh its costs and why it should be executed. Business cases are prepared during the project initiation phase and their purpose is to include all the project’s objectives, costs and benefits to convince stakeholders of its value.

A business case is an important project document to prove to your client, customer or stakeholder that the project proposal you’re pitching is a sound investment. Below, we illustrate the steps to writing one that will sway them.

The need for a business case is that it collects the financial appraisal, proposal, strategy and marketing plan in one document and offers a full look at how the project will benefit the organization. Once your business case is approved by the project stakeholders, you can begin the project planning phase.

Projects fail without having a solid business case to rest on, as this project document is the base for the project charter and project plan. But if a project business case is not anchored to reality, and doesn’t address a need that aligns with the larger business objectives of the organization, then it is irrelevant.

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Use this free Business Case Template for Word to manage your projects better.

The research you’ll need to create a strong business case is the why, what, how and who of your project. This must be clearly communicated. The elements of your business case will address the why but in greater detail. Think of the business case as a document that is created during the project initiation phase but will be used as a reference throughout the project life cycle.

Whether you’re starting a new project or mid-way through one, take time to write up a business case to justify the project expenditure by identifying the business benefits your project will deliver and that your stakeholders are most interested in reaping from the work. The following four steps will show you how to write a business case.

Step 1: Identify the Business Problem

Projects aren’t created for projects’ sake. They should always be aligned with business goals . Usually, they’re initiated to solve a specific business problem or create a business opportunity.

You should “Lead with the need.” Your first job is to figure out what that problem or opportunity is, describe it, find out where it comes from and then address the time frame needed to deal with it.

This can be a simple statement but is best articulated with some research into the economic climate and the competitive landscape to justify the timing of the project.

Step 2: Identify the Alternative Solutions

How do you know whether the project you’re undertaking is the best possible solution to the problem defined above? Naturally, prioritizing projects is hard, and the path to success is not paved with unfounded assumptions.

One way to narrow down the focus to make the right solution clear is to follow these six steps (after the relevant research, of course):

• Note the alternative solutions.
• For each solution, quantify its benefits.
• Also, forecast the costs involved in each solution.
• Then figure out its feasibility .
• Discern the risks and issues associated with each solution.
• Finally, document all this in your business case.

Step 3: Recommend a Preferred Solution

You’ll next need to rank the solutions, but before doing that it’s best to set up criteria, maybe have a scoring mechanism such as a decision matrix to help you prioritize the solutions to best choose the right one.

Some methodologies you can apply include:

• Depending on the solution’s cost and benefit , give it a score of 1-10.
• Base your score on what’s important to you.
• Add more complexity to your ranking to cover all bases.

Regardless of your approach, once you’ve added up your numbers, the best solution to your problem will become evident. Again, you’ll want to have this process also documented in your business case.

Step 4: Describe the Implementation Approach

So, you’ve identified your business problem or opportunity and how to reach it, now you have to convince your stakeholders that you’re right and have the best way to implement a process to achieve your goals. That’s why documentation is so important; it offers a practical path to solve the core problem you identified.

Now, it’s not just an exercise to appease senior leadership. Who knows what you might uncover in the research you put into exploring the underlying problem and determining alternative solutions? You might save the organization millions with an alternate solution than the one initially proposed. When you put in the work on a strong business case, you’re able to get your sponsors or organizational leadership on board with you and have a clear vision as to how to ensure the delivery of the business benefits they expect.

Our business case template for Word is the perfect tool to start writing a business case. It has 9 key business case areas you can customize as needed. Download the template for free and follow the steps below to create a great business case for all your projects.

One of the key steps to starting a business case is to have a business case checklist. The following is a detailed outline to follow when developing your business case. You can choose which of these elements are the most relevant to your project stakeholders and add them to our business case template. Then once your business case is approved, start managing your projects with a robust project management software such as ProjectManager.

1. Executive Summary

The executive summary is a short version of each section of your business case. It’s used to give stakeholders a quick overview of your project.

2. Project Definition

This section is meant to provide general information about your projects, such as the business objectives that will be achieved and the project plan outline.

3. Vision, Goals and Objectives

First, you have to figure out what you’re trying to do and what is the problem you want to solve. You’ll need to define your project vision, goals and objectives. This will help you shape your project scope and identify project deliverables.

4. Project Scope

The project scope determines all the tasks and deliverables that will be executed in your project to reach your business objectives.

5. Background Information

Here you can provide a context for your project, explaining the problem that it’s meant to solve, and how it aligns with your organization’s vision and strategic plan.

6. Success Criteria and Stakeholder Requirements

Depending on what kind of project you’re working on, the quality requirements will differ, but they are critical to the project’s success. Collect all of them, figure out what determines if you’ve successfully met them and report on the results .

7. Project Plan

It’s time to create the project plan. Figure out the tasks you’ll have to take to get the project done. You can use a work breakdown structure template  to make sure you are through. Once you have all the tasks collected, estimate how long it will take to complete each one.

Project management software makes creating a project plan significantly easier. ProjectManager can upload your work breakdown structure template and all your tasks are populated in our tool. You can organize them according to your production cycle with our kanban board view, or use our Gantt chart view to create a project schedule.

8. Project Budget

Your budget is an estimate of everything in your project plan and what it will cost to complete the project over the scheduled time allotted.

9. Project Schedule

Make a timeline for the project by estimating how long it will take to get each task completed. For a more impactful project schedule , use a tool to make a Gantt chart, and print it out. This will provide that extra flourish of data visualization and skill that Excel sheets lack.

10. Project Governance

Project governance refers to all the project management rules and procedures that apply to your project. For example, it defines the roles and responsibilities of the project team members and the framework for decision-making.

11. Communication Plan

Have milestones for check-ins and status updates, as well as determine how stakeholders will stay aware of the progress over the project life cycle.

12. Progress Reports

Have a plan in place to monitor and track your progress during the project to compare planned to actual progress. There are project tracking tools that can help you monitor progress and performance.

Again, using a project management tool improves your ability to see what’s happening in your project. ProjectManager has tracking tools like dashboards and status reports that give you a high-level view and more detail, respectively. Unlike light-weight apps that make you set up a dashboard, ours is embedded in the tool. Better still, our cloud-based software gives you real-time data for more insightful decision-making. Also, get reports on more than just status updates, but timesheets, workload, portfolio status and much more, all with just one click. Then filter the reports and share them with stakeholders to keep them updated.

13. Financial Appraisal

This is a very important section of your business case because this is where you explain how the financial benefits outweigh the project costs . Compare the financial costs and benefits of your project. You can do this by doing a sensitivity analysis and a cost-benefit analysis.

14. Market Assessment

Research your market, competitors and industry, to find opportunities and threats

15. Competitor Analysis

Identify direct and indirect competitors and do an assessment of their products, strengths, competitive advantages and their business strategy.

16. SWOT Analysis

A SWOT analysis helps you identify your organization’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. The strengths and weaknesses are internal, while the opportunities and threats are external.

17. Marketing Strategy

Describe your product, distribution channels, pricing, target customers among other aspects of your marketing plan or strategy.

18. Risk Assessment

There are many risk categories that can impact your project. The first step to mitigating them is to identify and analyze the risks associated with your project activities.

ProjectManager , an award-winning project management software, can collect and assemble all the various data you’ll be collecting, and then easily share it both with your team and project sponsors.

Once you have a spreadsheet with all your tasks listed, you can import it into our software. Then it’s instantly populated into a Gantt chart . Simply set the duration for each of the tasks, add any dependencies, and your project is now spread across a timeline. You can set milestones, but there is so much more you can do.

You have a project plan now, and from the online Gantt chart, you can assign team members to tasks. Then they can comment directly on the tasks they’re working on, adding as many documents and images as needed, fostering a collaborative environment. You can track their progress and change task durations as needed by dragging and dropping the start and end dates.

But that’s only a taste of what ProjectManager offers. We have kanban boards that visualize your workflow and a real-time dashboard that tracks six project metrics for the most accurate view of your project possible.

Try ProjectManager and see for yourself with this 30-day free trial .

If you want more business case advice, take a moment to watch Jennifer Bridges, PMP, in this short training video. She explains the steps you have to take in order to write a good business case.

Here’s a screenshot for your reference.

Transcription:

Today we’re talking about how to write a business case. Well, over the past few years, we’ve seen the market, or maybe organizations, companies or even projects, move away from doing business cases. But, these days, companies, organizations, and those same projects are scrutinizing the investments and they’re really seeking a rate of return.

So now, think of the business case as your opportunity to package your project, your idea, your opportunity, and show what it means and what the benefits are and how other people can benefit.

We want to take a look today to see what’s in the business case and how to write one. I want to be clear that when you look for information on a business case, it’s not a briefcase.

Someone called the other day and they were confused because they were looking for something, and they kept pulling up briefcases. That’s not what we’re talking about today. What we’re talking about are business cases, and they include information about your strategies, about your goals. It is your business proposal. It has your business outline, your business strategy, and even your marketing plan.

Why Do You Need a Business Case?

And so, why is that so important today? Again, companies are seeking not only their project managers but their team members to have a better understanding of business and more of an idea business acumen. So this business case provides the justification for the proposed business change or plan. It outlines the allocation of capital that you may be seeking and the resources required to implement it. Then, it can be an action plan . It may just serve as a unified vision. And then it also provides the decision-makers with different options.

So let’s look more at the steps required to put these business cases together. There are four main steps. One, you want to research your market. Really look at what’s out there, where are the needs, where are the gaps that you can serve? Look at your competition. How are they approaching this, and how can you maybe provide some other alternatives?

You want to compare and finalize different approaches that you can use to go to market. Then you compile that data and you present strategies, your goals and other options to be considered.

And then you literally document it.

So what does the document look like? Well, there are templates out there today. The components vary, but these are the common ones. And then these are what I consider essential. So there’s the executive summary. This is just a summary of your company, what your management team may look like, a summary of your product and service and your market.

The business description gives a little bit more history about your company and the mission statement and really what your company is about and how this product or service fits in.

Then, you outline the details of the product or service that you’re looking to either expand or roll out or implement. You may even include in their patents may be that you have pending or other trademarks.

Then, you want to identify and lay out your marketing strategy. Like, how are you gonna take this to your customers? Are you going to have a brick-and-mortar store? Are you gonna do this online? And, what are your plans to take it to market?

You also want to include detailed information about your competitor analysis. How are they doing things? And, how are you planning on, I guess, beating your competition?

You also want to look at and identify your SWOT. And the SWOT is your strength. What are the strengths that you have in going to market? And where are the weaknesses? Maybe some of your gaps. And further, where are your opportunities and maybe threats that you need to plan for? Then the overview of the operation includes operational information like your production, even human resources, information about the day-to-day operations of your company.

And then, your financial plan includes your profit statement, your profit and loss, any of your financials, any collateral that you may have, and any kind of investments that you may be seeking.

So these are the components of your business case. This is why it’s so important. And if you need a tool that can help you manage and track this process, then sign up for our software now at ProjectManager .

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How To Write A Consulting Case Study: Guide, Template, & Examples

When you deliver a successful project, do you publish a consulting case study about it?

A consulting case study is a short story about a successful project that explains…

• The problem your client was dealing with before hiring you;
• your expertise and process for solving that problem;
• and the results your expertise and process created for the client and their business.

In my experience, our consulting case studies are among the most powerful pieces of content we publish. They’re a big reason why people are comfortable signing up for our Clarity Coaching Program .

Because our case studies prove our program helps our clients get results.

I can say that our coaching program is the best on the market until I’m blue in the face.

But it’s much more powerful for consultants to see the results others have experienced for themselves: through our case studies and testimonials.

If you don’t have something of value on your website like a case study — something that actually shows you can achieve results for your clients — then your website will only serve as “confirmational marketing.”

It will confirm what people hear about you. But it won’t help you generate interest and leads.

So, if you want to shift your website beyond mere confirmational marketing to an asset that helps you generate leads and conversions, consider writing consulting case studies using the method below.

In this article, you’ll learn how to write compelling case studies that help you win more consulting clients.

Ready? Let’s dive in…

Your case study is proof that not only can you talk the talk, but you can also walk the walk.

What Is A Consulting Case Study?

When a potential client is deciding on whether they will hire you or not, a big question in their mind is…

“Can this person or company really do what they say they can for my business?”

There are many forms of thought leadership you can use to prove you can deliver results.

The consulting case study is one of them.

A case study, in the context of consulting, is typically a written document that describes…

• the problem a client was facing,
• the actions you took to solve that problem,
• and the outcomes it created for your client.

You write case studies to demonstrate the results and value you created for a past or current client.

What makes them so effective as marketing material?

• They are relatively easy to put together (especially when you use our template below).
• Your potential clients enjoy reading them.
• And they are a highly effective way to demonstrate your authority and expertise in your field.

Next, I’ll walk you through how to write a consulting case study.

In our program, one of the things we teach consultants is how to better understand their clients’ problems and articulate their ability to solve those problems in a way that will attract new clients.

How To Write A Consulting Case Study

Here are the steps to writing your consulting case study. You can follow along with our consulting case study template .

1. Get Permission From The Client

You shouldn’t write a case study that names your client without their permission.

So, before you start writing it, ask them if they’d be OK with you publishing a case study about the project.

Now, I’m not a lawyer, and nothing in this article or anything I write is legal or financial advice. But here’s what we’ve found, through running consulting businesses for over two decades, often works best:

A question we often receive from consultants is “What if I can’t use the name of my client or the company I worked with?” Generally, this isn’t an issue. If your contract says you can’t use the client’s company name, or the client says “No” to your request, all is not lost.

What tends to work extremely well is still writing the case study, but without using the client’s name. Instead, describe the client.

For example, let’s say your client is the automaker Mazda. If you can’t use their name, consider “Working with a top 20 global automaker…”

This gives prospective buyers a good idea of the caliber and type of company you worked with.

When you ask your client for their permission to create a case study that features them, you’ll generally find that 9 times out of 10 they won’t have a problem with you doing so, but make sure you ask before publishing.

2. Introduce The Client’s Business

Once you’ve gotten permission from the client, you’ll begin writing your case study. Follow along using our template .

The first section is the introduction. Set the stage here by introducing your client, their business, and their industry.

This section gives context to the case study. Ideally, your ideal client is intrigued by being in a similar industry or situation as the client in your case study.

3. Describe The Problem Or Challenge

In this section, you outline the problem your client was facing.

Be as specific as you can be.

Simply saying they had marketing issues or a problem with their PR is not enough.

The more detail you include the clearer the picture will become and the more effective your case study copywriting will be.

If your ideal client reads this and has a similar problem as the client in the case study, you can guarantee that their eyes will be glued to the screen, salivating to learn how you solved it.

4. Summarize Your Action Steps

Now that you’ve described the problem your client was up against, you’ll explain what you did to help solve the problem.

In this section, break down each part of the process you used or the steps you took to solve it.

The reader should get the sense that you have a process or system capable of solving the problem and getting results.

This is where you get to demonstrate your know-how and expertise. Get as technical as you can. Show your reader “Hey, this is how I can get YOU results too.”

5. Share The Results

It’s time to demonstrate results.

Write the results that were achieved and how they impacted the business/organization/person.

In many cases, the outcome isn’t just dollars and cents — it can also be less tangible value.

Are they less stressed? Do they have more free time? Are they finding more meaning and enjoyment in their work?

Mention if you’re continuing to work with this client through a retainer . If you’re not, describe how the results will impact their business in the future.

This is also a great place to include a quote or testimonial from your client.

The “Results” section is key because it shows prospective clients that you’ve solved the problems they are facing and have delivered the actual results that they likely desire.

6. Write A Call To Action

At the end of the case study, you should always include a sentence or two inviting the ideal client to reach out.

They’ve just read about the problems you can solve, how you solve them, and the results you can create.

They are primed and ready to reach out to inquire about how you can do it for them.

But if you don’t have a direct call to action for them to do that, many of them will leave without taking action.

So, write a direct, clear call to action that takes them to a page where it’s easy to book a consultation with you or where you provide your contact information.

7. Share It

Marketing for consultants is all about providing value to your ideal clients, being known for something specific, and positioning yourself as an expert and authority that your ideal clients want to work with. So, whenever you publish a piece of valuable content like a case study, your mission is to get as many eyes on the case study as possible.

The best place to publish your case study is on your website or blog.

You can also submit case studies to industry publications. These are a great way to spread the word about you and your client’s business.

Make sure to also share your case study on all social media platforms where your ideal clients hang out online. For consultants, that means LinkedIn.

Work your “marketing muscle” by actively promoting your case study, and you’ll reap the rewards of this powerful piece of authority-building content.

Writing case studies for your consulting business not only helps you land new clients, but it’s also a great way for you to review past projects.

Doing this helps you to find what worked and what didn’t.

And you’ll continue to learn from your experiences and implement your best practices into your next consulting project.

Consulting Case Study Template

Click here to access our Consulting Case Study Template .

This template is designed using a “fill in the blank” style to make it easy for you to put together your case studies.

Save this template for yourself. Use it to follow along with the examples below.

Consulting Case Study Examples

Here are some example case studies from our Clarity Coaching Program clients.

1. Larissa Stoddart

Larissa Stoddart teaches charities and nonprofits how to raise money.

To do that, she provides her clients with a training and coaching program that walks them through twelve modules of content on raising money for their organization, creating a fundraising plan, putting an information management system into place, finding prospects, and asking those prospects for money.

Through her case studies, Larissa provides a comprehensive overview of how she helps her clients build robust fundraising plans and achieve and win more donations.

2. Dan Burgos

Danila “Dan” Burgos is the president and CEO of Alphanova Consulting, which works with US manufacturers to help them increase their profitability through operational improvements.

The goal of Alphanova is to increase their clients’ quality and on-time delivery by 99 percent and help them increase their net profits by over 25 percent.

Through his case studies, Dan lays out the problem, his solution, and the results in a clear simple way.

He makes it very easy for his prospects to envision working with his firm — and then schedule a consultation to make it happen.

3. Vanessa Bennet

Through her company Next Evolution Performance, Vanessa Bennett and her business partner Alex Davides, use neuroscience to help driven business leaders improve their productivity, energy, profitability, and staff retention, while avoiding burnout.

Through her “Clients” page, she provides a list of the specific industries she works with as well as specific case studies from clients within those industries.

She then displays in-depth testimonials that detail the results that her consulting services create for her clients.

These are powerful stories that help Vanessa’s clients see their desired future state — and how her firm is the right choice to help them get there.

As you see, our clients have taken our template and made them work for their unique style, clients, and services.

I encourage you to do the same.

And if you’d benefit from personal, 1-on-1 coaching and support from like-minded consultants, check out our Clarity Coaching Program .

Get Help & Feedback Writing Consulting Case Studies

If writing and demonstrating your authority were easy, then every consultant would be publishing case studies.

But that’s not the case.

Sometimes it helps to have a consulting coach to walk you through each step — and a community of like-minded consultants with whom you can share your work and get feedback from.

That’s why we’ve built the Clarity Coaching Program.

Inside the program, we teach you how to write case studies (among dozens of other critical subjects for consulting business founders).

And we’ve also created a network of coaches and other consultants who are in the trenches — and who are willing to share their hard-fought knowledge with you.

Inside the Clarity Coaching program , we’ve helped over 850 consultants to build a more strategic, profitable, and scalable, consulting business.

Learn More About Clarity Coaching

We’ll work hands-on with you to develop a strategic plan and then dive deep and work through your ideal client clarity, strategic messaging, consulting offers, use an effective and proven consulting pricing strategy, help you to increase your fees, business model optimization, and help you to set up your marketing engine and lead generation system to consistently attract ideal clients.

15 thoughts on “ How To Write A Consulting Case Study: Guide, Template, & Examples ”

This is a great outline and I found it quite helpful. Thanks.

Shana – glad you found this post helpful!

I have used case studies to get new clients and you're right, They work.

Jay – thanks for sharing. I've worked with many clients to implement case studies and have used them in several businesses and have always found them to be great at supporting proof and establishing authority and credibility.

Dumb question: guess you can't charge if you're doing a case study, huh?

Terri – No such thing as a dumb question where I come from. Always good to ask.

You definitely can charge for case studies. Michael Stelzner has a lot more information on writing white papers (and case studies) as projects.

This post was really aimed at using case studies to win more business and attract clients. But you can definitely offer this service to companies and they'll pay handsomely for it.

That was a great question!

Hello,I am really glad I stumbled upon your consulting site. This outline is very helpful and I love the e-mails I recieve as well Thanks!

Happy to hear that

This is a great site for consultants – great information for the team to share with consultants that reach out to us. Thank you!

Thanks Deborah

It is a good steps if we know how we start and control our working.

All I wanted to know about putting together a case study I have got. Thanks so much.

to put together your consulting case study: to put together your consulting case study:

I have used your outline today to write one case. Thank you for sharing.

Hi – This is a great piece, and covers all the core elements of a case study with impact.

Couple of extra points…

1. it’s really powerful to provide a mix of qualitative and quantitative results where possible e.g. ‘we saved the client $500 per month and feedback tells us morale improved’

2. We are seeing more and more consultancies include images and video in their case studies. This obviously depends on the context, so while it’s not necessarily appropriate within the confines of a bid, it is definitely something to think about for those case studies that you want to publish online or in a marketing brochure.

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What is the Case Study Method?

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The 2021-2022 academic year marks the 100-year anniversary of the introduction of the case method at Harvard Business School. Today, the HBS case method is employed in the HBS MBA program, in Executive Education programs, and in dozens of other business schools around the world. As Dean Srikant Datar's says, the case method has withstood the test of time.

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Most programs begin with registration, followed by an opening session and a dinner. If your travel plans necessitate late arrival, please be sure to notify us so that alternate registration arrangements can be made for you. Please note the following about registration:

HBS campus programs – Registration takes place in the Chao Center.

India programs – Registration takes place outside the classroom.

Other off-campus programs – Registration takes place in the designated facility.

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Professors are here to push everyone to learn, but not to embarrass anyone. If the class is quiet, they'll often ask a participant with experience in the industry in which the case is set to speak first. This is done well in advance so that person can come to class prepared to share. Trust the process. The more open you are, the more willing you’ll be to engage, and the more alive the classroom will become.

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Professors often encourage participants to take opposing sides and then debate the issues, often taking the perspective of the case protagonists or key decision makers in the case.

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How the HBS Case Method Works

How the Case Method Works

• Read and analyze the case. Each case is a 10-20 page document written from the viewpoint of a real person leading a real organization. In addition to background information on the situation, each case ends in a key decision to be made. Your job is to sift through the information, incomplete by design, and decide what you would do.
• Discuss the case. Each morning, you’ll bring your ideas to a small team of classmates from diverse professional backgrounds, your discussion group, to share your findings and listen to theirs. Together, you begin to see the case from different perspectives, better preparing you for class.
• Engage in class. Be prepared to change the way you think as you debate with classmates the best path forward for this organization. The highly engaged conversation is facilitated by the faculty member, but it’s driven by your classmates’ comments and experiences. HBS brings together amazingly talented people from diverse backgrounds and puts that experience front and center. Students do the majority of the talking (and lots of active listening), and your job is to better understand the decision at hand, what you would do in the case protagonist’s shoes, and why. You will not leave a class thinking about the case the same way you thought about it coming in! In addition to learning more about many businesses, in the case method you will develop communication, listening, analysis, and leadership skills. It is a truly dynamic and immersive learning environment.
• Reflect. The case method prepares you to be in leadership positions where you will face time-sensitive decisions with limited information. Reflecting on each class discussion will prepare you to face these situations in your future roles.

Student Perspectives

“I’ve been so touched by how dedicated other people have been to my learning and my success.”

Faculty Perspectives

“The world desperately needs better leadership. It’s actually one of the great gifts of teaching here, you can do something about it.”

Alumni Perspectives

“You walk into work every morning and it's like a fire hose of decisions that need to be made, often without enough information. Just like an HBS case.”

Celebrating the Inaugural HBS Case

“How do you go into an ambiguous situation and get to the bottom of it? That skill – the skill of figuring out a course of inquiry, to choose a course of action – that skill is as relevant today as it was in 1921.”

How to Write a Business Case Study

by Julia McCoy | Dec 1, 2016 | How to Write

Business case studies can have a massive impact on your marketing, done right.

While they cost time and effort to create, they can be a stellar tactic to draw new customers to your business and help you earn new clients.

Unfortunately, many people aren’t sure how to start when it’s time to write copy for them.

If you’re one of the many individuals who wants to learn how to write a business case study, but just aren’t sure where to get started, my simple guide is here to help you step-by-step – another installment of our #howtowrite series!

What is a Case Study?

A case study is a piece of content, published by a company, that outlines their success or effectiveness in dealing with a client. It’s commonly used as a piece of marketing content and can be incredibly useful since it helps would-be clients understand how the agency or professional has excelled in the past.

Virtually every successful online company uses case studies, and Express Writers is no different! Earlier this year, in fact, we published  a case study  that showcases how we helped a client boost their revenue by 77% after creating some product descriptions for them.

Case studies are more than just a piece of self-congratulating marketing material (this is an incorrect assumption that many people hold about these unique content types), though. In fact, they’re meant less to stroke the company in question’s ego than they are to help would-be clients understand how a given company can assist them.

The Top 4 Benefits of Why You Should Learn How to Write a Business Case Study

So, why go to all the time to create your own case study? (It IS a ton of time and effort!)

If the “what is” didn’t argue in favor already, here are key reasons to spend your time finding out how to write a business case study, and putting one of your own together.

Business case studies have many  advantages . The top four are as follows:

1. Case studies allow a company to use storytelling to bring their product to life

Whether it’s a service or a hard-and-fast consumer product, a case study is an excellent way to illustrate it and help bring it to life for new customers. Just like any great novel, a good case study has a beginning, a middle, and an end, with a conflict and a resolution. It’s a wildly effective way to make somewhat complex products real and can go a long way toward improving the way your clients perceive your offerings, especially for new businesses .

2. Case studies provide peer-to-peer influence

Peer-to-peer influence is a massively important thing, and case studies are wonderful at fulfilling it because they offer the view of a customer rather than a company. While it’s a company that publishes a case study, the entire thing is dedicated to recounting a customer’s experience. Direct quotes, statistics, and more are standard, and these things are fantastic for helping would-be clients to see the value in a company.

3. Case studies offer real-life examples

We’ve all heard about how critical customer reviews are for conversion rates, and case studies take this one step further. By providing real-life examples of your product at work, paired with glowing customer reviews, they can help new customers feel more confident in your company and take the leap to convert.

For an example, check out this case study excerpt (from our own clientele based case study ):

4. Case studies are powerful word-of-mouth advertising

Because a company must ask permission from a client to use his or her data in a case study, the inclusion of a customer in a case study often leads to some brand evangelism that can help boost your company’s visibility and improve your conversion rates.

How to Write a Business Case Study: Your Complete Guide in 5 Steps

So, you want to write a case study, but you’re not sure where to begin! This guide will help you get started.

1. Identify your best possible avenue for data

When it comes time to write a case study, you might have multiple cases to choose from. The first part of being successful, though, is narrowing these things down. For your case study to succeed, it must contain just the right information, and it’s critical to ensure this from the get-go. To determine which of your various cases would be the best fit for a study, look at them and evaluate whether or not they contain the following elements:

• A significant challenge . This could be a tight timeline, a complicated issue, low sales numbers, or even a need for entirely new software integration.
• A satisfying solution . For your case study to fall into the realm of storytelling, it needs a solution that customers can relate to.
• A series of substantial benefits.  The final component in a case study is the benefit. An excellent case study should feature several benefits that your customers can relate to deeply. The benefits will be even more compelling if they’re solid statistics like we used when we say we boosted the client’s sales by 77% year-over-year. The more granular, the better in this case.

2. Write your case study (5 key tips)

Now comes the tough part – the writing! While it’s true that writing a case study requires a different set of skills and a different voice than everyday writing, it’s far from impossible.

To ace your DIY case study, follow these tips:

• Choose your voice carefully

Depending on your brand and the content of the case study, you can write it in either the first or third person. Either approach will work, and most case studies use a mixture of both.

EXAMPLE:  Our client-based  case study at Express Writers  does this, and it flows quite nicely. If you’re going to use a combination of both the first and the third person, though, be sure that you’re enhancing the third-person parts with direct quotes from the client, as straight third-person voice can sound overly narrated after a while.

• Make your title specific and attention-grabbing

The title is a critical component of the case study. To make it as attention-grabbing as possible, include percentages and strong action verbs. Here are some good examples from real-life case studies:

• “ How Fake News Goes Viral: a Case Study ”
• “ HubSpot Partner Agency Element Three Doubles Yearly Revenue ”
• “ How KISSmetrics Increased Webinar Sign-Up Rates by 1,000% ”

Remember: titles perform better when they are as accurate as possible. That’s why phrases like “by 1,000%” and “doubles yearly revenue” appear in these wide-ranging case studies.

• Keep your language simple

Many people think that learning how to write a business case study involves incorporating jargon and corporate-speak into the writing. Fortunately, this isn’t true. In fact, writing a business case study requires you to keep your language simple rather than making it more complicated. The more you can avoid corporate jargon in your case studies, the better.

In addition to making them more natural and approachable, this will also allow non-customers to approach your case study without being intimidated away by overly complicated case study language.

• Add real numbers to your case study

When you look at the case study titles above, most people would agree that “increased webinar sign-up rates by 1,000%” is the most memorable phrase up there. In addition to the fact that this is a shocking number, it’s also so precise that it grabs reader attention.

With this in mind, follow KISSmetrics’s lead and include real numbers in your case studies. While phrases like “doubled this” or “tripled that” are powerful, they just don’t have the added oomph they need to take your case study to the top.

• Write from the beginning to the end

A case study is not the place to leave out critical data. Instead, write from the beginning to the end and keep it as accurate and chronological as possible. This will help flesh out the entire circumstances surrounding your interaction with the client and allow your readers to understand your impact more effectively.

3. Finish the case study with all of your relevant contact information

Since a case study is designed, at least in part, for press distribution, it should be outfitted with your contact information and details. This will allow other companies, customers, and more to contact you regarding the case study, and will help to make the information within it more accessible to other people.

While there are different standards for which information you “should” include in a case study, most sources recommend including your phone number, website, email, and one or two social profiles, along with a short bio. This will provide enough information for interested parties to contact you and can help boost the ROI of your case study down the road.

4. Hire a designer to finish the product

Don’t forget that every good case study needs a great design, and it can be helpful to bring in a designer to add some visual interest to the piece. Simple things, like using text boxes to pull out key facts, statistics, and quotes, and inputting related graphics and charts can make all of the difference in your case study and should be used liberally to enhance its value and interest.

We can help – our lead designer is familiar with how to take copy and create custom, beautiful designs in Adobe to match! Check out our case study service here.

5. Publish the case study

Publishing your case study  is the final step in creating it. To get the most success from your case study, you’ll want to post it in the places your real audience and prospective customers frequent. This may mean publishing the case study on your blog, reaching out to relevant publishing platforms, or gating the case study and using it to drive email sign-ups for your company.

Alternately,  KISSmetrics recommends  appealing to different types of learners by breaking your case study into unexpected formats, like a podcast, a YouTube video, or an infographic!

We published ours in a few different forms.

Then, as a landing page.

What About Hiring a Specialist to Write the Case Study?

Writing a case study requires a very particular voice, and if you don’t have the time or confidence to do it yourself, it’s in your best interests to hire someone specifically who knows how to write case studies and has done it before. In addition to making your case studies more efficient, this will also help you create the best possible case study and not drive yourself into the ground as you do it.

No matter how good the writer you hire is, you’ll have to provide them with some specific information about your case study.

Ideally, you should give the author a very clear overview of what you’d like from the case study. This should include the following components:

• The products, goods, or services you’d like the case study to promote
• The benefits you provided for the client
• The struggle the client faced
• The specific way you went about resolving it
• The result (percentages, direct quotes from the customer, and facts are helpful here)
• The deadline for the case study

These things are critical for helping your writer create the best possible case study, and they’ll go a long way toward making the process more lucrative and enjoyable for you, as well.

The Case for Case Studies

Case studies are an incredibly useful tool and can have a massive positive impact on your content marketing.

While most companies don’t think they can create case studies, learning how to write a business case study is simple, as long as you’re willing to put in some time and work.

In addition to helping your customers understand the benefits of your services, case studies also provide an essential platform for new clients to see your products at work, which can be all they need to convert and become brand evangelists.

By following my tips above, you can learn how to write business case studies from scratch. Simple, effective, and critical for your company, this is one ROI-boosting move you simply will not regret.

Don’t want to D-I-Y? Trust our marketing team of experts: we’ve crafted successful case studies for businesses of all types. Talk to us today about your case study writing & creation needs!

Download your Free copy of How to Write a Business Case Study

Home Blog PowerPoint Tutorials How To Prepare and Deliver a Business Case Presentation

How To Prepare and Deliver a Business Case Presentation

No matter how junior or senior an individual is in an organization, there will always be times when they need to convince others why they should fund them, choose them, or do anything else they want them to do. Sometimes an informal, but convincing, argument is enough. Often, it isn’t. Those are the times you’ll need to prepare a business case in order to change their mind.

What is a Business Case?

A business case is a document that presents the costs, risks, and benefits of a particular initiative, justifies the investment , and pitches why decision-makers should approve of the recommendation. Students pursuing an  MBA with a specialization in marketing  are often asked to prepare different business case studies to improve their business forecasting and analytics skills.

Depending on your organization and endeavor, this will be anything from an informal document to a formal presentation before stakeholders. Regardless of the format, a business case aims to convince people if a project or initiative is worth investing in and why one particular approach is better than others.

A Business Case Is Not a Project Proposal or a Project Plan

Don’t get a business case mixed up with a project proposal . While they have similar goals and will cover some of the same topics, they’re not quite the same thing. A project proposal focuses on what a project is, delving into many of the details like deliverables and timelines. They are also different from project plans , which explain how a project will be executed and have much more detail. A business case, on the other hand, is about why people should invest in your initiative.

When You Should Create a Business Case Presentation?

You should create a business case presentation any time you need to convince a manager or stakeholder to make a decision, where an informal conversation is not appropriate or enough.

Common reasons to create a business case presentation:

• Asking for new funding, more funding, or a continuation of funding
• Changing the scope of a project
• Starting a new project
• Requesting a policy change
• Asking for an exception to a rule
• Adding resources to a project or team

How to Create a Business Case Presentation?

While you might be eager to jump in and share the initiative you believe in, it’s a good idea to step back and make sure you prepare a solid case. The more concrete details, facts, and figures you have, the stronger your business case will be. The main sections of a business case will be the context of the situation, problem statement, opportunities, financial analysis, and solution description.

If you’ve never made a business case presentation before, consider using a business case template or try our AI presentation maker to help guide you through each step. Here’s a short summary of each of the parts of a convincing business case presentation.

Step 1. Establish Context about the Current Situation

Not all audience members will immediately know what the current situation is leading up to your initiative. Briefly lay out the background of the idea. Note that this isn’t the problem statement, which will follow.

Step 2. State the Problems

This slide is where you can impress upon your audience the importance of the problem, and therefore, why the solution you’ll soon present is necessary.

When describing the problems, think about the direct and indirect effects of the situation, as well as the internal and external implications. Include statistical analysis if you’re already seeing negative effects because of the situation.

Step 3. Evaluate Opportunities

Your solution needs to be directly related to the stated problem. Here you can list, side-by-side, the opportunities you foresee to address problems. This section is a segway from your problem to your solution.

Another way to present this section is to analyze potential causes of the previously stated problem. This would then be the step to introduce the possible approaches, before settling on the one you’ve chosen to pitch.

Step 4. Analyze Finances

The numbers are probably the most important thing on stakeholder’s minds. They can make or break your business case. Present the current financial situation and compare it to the numbers you could be achieving if they choose to fund your initiative. Additionally, emphasize the potential for increased revenue through the implementation of a recurring payment system , which can provide a steady stream of income for your business.

Step 5. Describe Solution

Now that you’ve impressed the need for a change on your audience, it’s time to propose your solution. The format of your solution description will depend on what kind of decision you’re promoting. Generally speaking, you’ll want to briefly outline what needs to be done, how it will be done, who will do it, and when it will be done. Let’s look at sample solution formats for each of the examples from the introduction:

• Convincing the project manager to add you to a team: List the skills you have, how they relate to the needs of the project, and what you’ll be able to achieve once part of that team.
• Convincing your boss to commit time to fixing a product issue: List how you can fix the issue, how much time it will take, how many resources it will take, and how much it will cost, especially when compared to the alternative.
• Convincing HR to give an employee a raise: List how much of a raise your employee will need, any other non-monetary benefits that could work, and the advantages of retaining that talent.
• Convincing the board to open a new office: This initiative is clearly much more complex than the previous examples, which means it will require a much more in-depth business case document. However, in the business case presentation, you can list the costs, forecasted ROI, resources needed, and potential benefits of opening up the satellite office.

10 Tips for Presenting Effective Business Cases

• Use unique and attention-grabbing visuals. Chances are a board of directors or management team has seen a lot of business cases. Make sure yours doesn’t look just like everyone else’s.
• Clearly state your recommendation and required investment.
• Don’t shy away from costs and risks.
• Evaluate various scenarios when presenting your solution.
• Don’t forget to practice presenting your business case when preparing the documentation.
• Use an appropriate story alongside facts and figures to hook your audience, as recommended by the Harvard Business Review . 
• Don’t add too much data to your PPT slides. Remember that the rest of your details will be in the business case document.
• Involve your audience by making eye contact, mentioning specific examples they may have heard about or been involved in, and even making appropriate jokes.
• Brainstorm potential questions your audience may ask and incorporate them into your presentation. 
• Prepare both a long version and a short version of your business case presentation. You might be expecting an hour to pitch your idea to stakeholders, but you might just get a few minutes while walking down the hall to an emergency meeting.

Conclusion: Do Your Initiative Justice

You have a good idea. Maybe it’s a project you really believe in, a decision that just has to be made, or a strategy that will change the game for your organization. Whatever the case, your initiative won’t get approval if you communicate it ineffectively. Create a convincing business case and present it effectively and you’ll see decisions going your way in no time.

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What support can I offer my students around analyzing cases and preparing for discussion?

Case discussions can be a big departure from the norm for students who are used to lecture-based classes. The Case Analysis Coach is an interactive tutorial on reading and analyzing a case study. The Case Study Handbook covers key skills students need to read, understand, discuss and write about cases. The Case Study Handbook is also available as individual chapters to help your students focus on specific skills.

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The case method can be used in an online environment without sacrificing its benefits. We have compiled a few resources to help you create transformative online learning experiences with the case method. Learn how HBS brought the case method online in this podcast , gather some quick guidance from the article " How to Teach Any Case Online ", review the Teaching Cases Online Guide for a deep dive, and check out our Teaching Online Resources Page for more insights and inspiration.

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Case studies summarize fictitious or real life events faced by management, companies, and industries, and provide a framework for problem solving. They enable students to explore, understand and analyze situations with which they may not have had first-hand experience, and to apply the concepts and theory that they have been learning. Case studies also enable students to practice the critical thinking and problem solving skills that are in such high demand from employers today.

This guide helps you find case studies as well as resources that can help you analyze and write cases. It can also help you prepare for case competitions.

The Gast Business Library team is here to help you with your research and teaching needs.  Chat, email or schedule an appointment with a business librarian today!

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Case Interview: Complete Prep Guide

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Welcome to our preparation tips for case interviews!  Whether you are just curious about case interviews or are planning to apply for consulting internships or full-time jobs, these tips and resources will help you feel more prepared and confident.

A case interview is a role playing exercise in which an employer assesses how logically and persuasively you can present a case. Rather than seeing if you get the “correct” answer, the objective is to evaluate your thought process. ( Adapted with permission from Case In Point: Complete Case Interview Preparation by Marc Cosentino). 

Case interviews are very commonly used in the interview process for consulting firms and companies in similar industries. In the case interview, you will typically be given a business problem and then asked to solve it in a structured way. Learning this structure takes preparation and practice. You can learn more and practice using the resources listed below.  

Why are Case Interviews Used?

Case interviews allow employers to test and evaluate the following skills:

• Analytical skills and logical ability to solve problems
• Structure and thought process
• Ability to ask for relevant data/information
• Tolerance for ambiguity and data overload
• Poise and communication skills under pressure and in front of a client

How can I prepare for Case Interviews?

1.) Read Management Consulted’s “Case Interview: Complete Prep Guide (2024)”

Management Consulted is a FREE resource for Tufts students : case and consulting resources such as 500 sample cases, Case Interview Bootcamp,  Market Sizing Drills, Math Drills, case videos, consulting firm directory, and more

2.) Review additional resources:

• Case in Point – This book, by Marc Cosentino, is a comprehensive guide that walks you through the case interview process from beginning to end. This guide has helped many students over the years and can serve as an excellent foundation for how to approach business problems
• Casequestions.com – The companion website to Marc Cosentino’s book listed above offers preparation for case interviews, along with links to top 50 consulting firms
• Management Consulting Case Interviews: Cracking The Case – tips for case interviews from the other side of the table, from Argopoint, a Boston management consulting firm specializing in legal department consulting for Fortune 500 companies
• Preplounge.com – Free case preparation access for to up to 6 practice interviews with peers, selected cases, and video case solutions
• RocketBlocks – Features consulting preparation such as drills and coaching
• Practice sample online cases on consulting firm websites such as McKinsey , BCG , Bain , Deloitte and more!  

3.) Schedule a mock case interview appointment with  Karen Dankers or Kathy Spillane , our advisors for the Finance, Consulting, Entrepreneurship, and Business Career Community.

4.) PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE cases out loud on your own (yes, that can feel odd) or preferably, with another person. See #2 and #3 above for resources and ideas to find partners to practice live cases

5.) Enjoy and have fun solving business problems!