Stage 3
Build a business case
& gain support for your Local Government

Putting your vision into action

Why do I need a business case?

You have the vision. You have the plan. Now you need to put it into action. Developing a business case that secures executive and organisational buy-in and approval can be the ‘make or break’ of your digital transformation.

It puts the vision into action, linking the roadmap to the company’s overarching strategic goals.

Making a strong business case for digital transformation

Download our template for more detailed recommendations about the inclusions you should consider when building your business case.

What information is essential to include?

A business case should answer the question: why are we doing this? Financial information is obviously key. The business case should outline how the project will save money, increase revenue or improve community services and within what timeframe the council can expect to receive a return on its investment.

But there are other important areas to consider. Council may choose to green light a project knowing on its own it isn’t saving money, but because it is essential to other projects, and the achievement of its overarching vision. A business case sets out to draw this link and provide the rationale for any investment of resources or money.

Risk is another key consideration that should be covered in any business case. It is important to outline the risks and opportunities, so that you can demonstrate all options have been considered and that the overall benefits outweigh the risks - as well as assuring stakeholders that risks will be managed.

Why do I need executive buy-in?

Executive buy-in is important to ensure when hard decisions need to be made, or when the going gets tough, that there are people who are in the position to make and hold decisions, and do so based on their understanding and agreement to the vision.

How do I go about getting executive sponsorship?

Executive sponsorship will always be easier if your project has a clear link to Council’s vision and long term plans. Council is clear on what they want to achieve, so you need to show them why your project is important to their success.

However, sometimes it is important to tackle it from the other perspective - highlighting the risks of what will happen if you don’t take action. For example - what will the complications be? what will it end up costing? Provide tangible examples of other Councils that have experienced pitfalls, and what you can learn from their experiences.

Who should champion this?

Ideally, executive sponsorship should be championed by line managers who are responsible for delivering the Council services. However, it may be appropriate for a specific project group to be formed to drive it forward.

Certainly, there should be a formalised group of people who are responsible for project delivery, which would involve an executive champion tasked with gaining executive buy-in and cutting through any issues the group faces internally.

Discover your peers’ top tips for securing executive sponsorship.
Senior Business Services Officer
Tablelands Regional Council

Executive support was really important in helping us understand and communicate: why are we doing this? So, once the corporate plan for the organisation was signed off, we had a discussion with the CEO about how we could deliver the digitisation journey.

Digital Transformation Hub

Select your current stage of digital transformation to access the resources you need to prepare, enact and realise your future goals.

Start your digital transformation

The journey to digital transformation involves careful planning and consideration. We've devised five key stages to get you started and on your way.

Clear vision and strategy

Not every digital transformation strategy is made equal. Its success hangs on having a clear vision and strategy, from the outset. The strategy needs to be linked to the overall Council vision, goals and long-term plan, which means having executive buy-in and sponsorship.

Make a business plan

Once you have outlined a clear vision and strategy for digital transformation, the next step is to build your business plan. A business plan is essentially your roadmap, outlining the steps needed to achieve your vision. You should approach it like an instruction manual, breaking your business plan into achievable and necessary steps.

Build a business case & gain executive sponsorship

You have the vision. You have the plan. Now you need to put it into action. Developing a business case that secures executive and organisational buy-in and approval can be the ‘make or break’ of your digital transformation.

Align with IT strategy

Tick: your business case is approved. Before you get started, the last step of your preparation stage is to ensure your digital transformation strategy is aligned with IT. Failure to align these strategies will cause unnecessary headaches, roadblocks and delays throughout your implementation project.

Make the move

With your strategies aligned, it’s now time to start executing your transformation. The first step is to clearly define your project timeline and the future state of your council on SaaS including key risks, mitigation strategies, roles and responsibilities. Defining this at the outset will enable you to maximise adoption and minimise disruption.

Want to learn more?

Explore our industry hub for more resources and advice on how SaaS can help drive your digital transformation.

Ready to learn more?

To take advantage of the opportunities SaaS ERP can offer your council, complete the form to speak to a SaaS transition expert.