Stage 5: Making the business case
Reason for stage
This stage is designed to help the project team to make the strongest business case possible for procuring and implementing the preferred EDRM solution across their education organisation. Again EDRM can mean an EDRM solution or a full enterprise content management suite as determined in stage four.
Definition of stage
Stage five takes you through the process of compiling a business case for an EDRM solution.
Firstly you need to review the tactical or hard benefits that the solution will bring. Secondly you need to review the strategic or soft benefits that will be achieved. Thirdly you need to establish the real costs involved in implementing the preferred solution. Fourthly you need to conduct a cost benefit analysis and make the overall case for an investment in a corporate EDRM solution. Stage five is therefore divided up into four steps.
Step one looks at the tactical benefits that the preferred solution will deliver.
Step two looks at the strategic benefits that the preferred solution will deliver.
Step three reviews the costs involved in implementing the preferred solution over an agreed time period.
Step four comprises the cost benefit analysis step.
Objectives of stage
This stage is designed to help ensure that the EDRM project team considers all the likely costs and benefits related to the implementation of an EDRM system and hence is in a position to make a realistic and comprehensive business case.
This stage assumes that you have agreed the preferred approach - the generic type of EDRM solution you require and the scope of the system implementation. It provides you with a step-by-step guide to making a business case for the preferred solution. It shows you how to assess the costs of the solution, the strategic benefits which it will bring and the hard or tactical benefits that can have a financial value placed on them and be used to offset the costs.
