Business Case Writing

We’ve all seen variations of this comic on LinkedIn. They’re “funny” — but they also show a problem: we’re using AI with an old, document-centric mindset. Five bullets → AI inflates to 12 pages → AI compresses back to five bullets. That’s not intelligence; it’s content ping-pong. We’re optimizing for length, not for decisions. A better way: in a case like this, AI should act as a decision co-pilot, not a text generator. Instead of “write 12 pages,” ask AI to: 1. Clarify intent & audience. “What decision must be made, by whom, and by when?” 2. Build a 1-page Decision Brief: recommendation, three supporting reasons, risks/mitigations, options considered, next steps. 3. Link evidence, don’t paste it: connect to the data and surface the few charts or numbers that matter. 4. Generate fit-for-purpose outputs: • exec email (≤200 words with clear ask) • one-slide visual for the meeting • optional appendix with traceable sources 5. Push back when inputs are weak: ask for gaps, assumptions, and thresholds that would change the recommendation. 6. Automate the loop: monitor the underlying data and update the brief if something material changes. Try this prompt: “Turn these 5 bullets into a 1-page Decision Brief for [audience]. State the recommended action, key reasons, risks, alternatives, and next steps. Produce: (a) a 200-word exec email with a clear decision request, (b) a single summary slide, and (c) links to supporting data. Ask me any clarifying questions first.” Write less. Decide faster. Deliver clarity. #AI #AgenticAI #DecisionIntelligence #Productivity #FutureOfWork #Leadership #Communication

Good decisions die in messy docs. If you want clarity and speed, compress it. One page. Five sections. No fluff. 1. Context – Why we’re here and what’s at stake. 2. Options – The real alternatives we considered. 3. Risk – Trade-offs, uncertainties, and what could break. 4. Choice – The decision, and the “why” behind it. 5. Follow-Ups – Who owns what, and by when. This format does 3 things well: Forces clear thinking. Speeds alignment. Leaves a record for future you. If your team debates endlessly or revisits decisions over and over, try the one-page memo for your next meeting. You’ll feel the difference.

You spend time crafting the perfect update. And then? Crickets. Not even a "Thank you" It's not that executives don't value your work. They just don't have time to decode it. They're not scanning for detail. They're scanning for decision points. So here's the fix: Use the B-I-R Framework: Bottom Line. Insight. Risk. 1) Bottom Line: "Customer adoption is up 12% this quarter." 2) Insight: "Feature X is driving the lift - especially with enterprise clients." 3) Risk: "But onboarding time is dragging - could stall the next wave of growth." BONUS: "Here is my suggestion for next step" Short. Strategic. Skimmable. One clear update in this format beats three status meetings. Because execs don't want information. They want insights. Make their lives easier - and they'll read every word. (I know because I loved getting these kind of updates as a VP)

That email you sent to the CEO got read. It also got deprioritized because you made them do work. I've sent the bad version too many times. They all had one thing in common: too much explaining. Children explain. Adults inform. The info dump email: "Hi Bill, wanted to follow up on the Humana contract discussion. They're pushing for a risk-based model but the terms are aggressive. I've been going back and forth with their team on quality thresholds and shared savings splits. We could accept their benchmarks, or counter with adjusted targets, or maybe propose a hybrid. I put together a few scenarios..." WAY too much backstory, no clear decision, no urgency, no deadline. The exec skims it, means to reply later, and never does. The direct decision brief email: "Hi Bill, I need a call on the Humana risk-based contract before their Friday deadline. The ask: Approve 60/40 shared savings split with adjusted quality benchmarks. Why it matters: Their current offer puts us underwater if utilization spikes. This counter protects margin while keeping the deal alive. Tradeoffs are in the attached one-pager. Can you approve or flag concerns by Thursday EOD?" One decision, defined stakes, clear deadline. The 4-line exec email: 1. The ask (one sentence, one decision) 2. The deadline (specific date, not "when you get a chance") 3. The stakes (why it matters now) 4. The context (one attachment, not five paragraphs) Executives don't need (or frankly want) more information. They want less thinking in their lives. It's your job to give them them what they want. If they can't say yes in under 30 seconds, you didn't send an email. You sent them work.

My co-author, Colin Bryar, and I wrote, read, and reviewed thousands of business narrative documents during our combined 27 years at Amazon. Based on our experience, here are tips to follow and common pitfalls to avoid. 1. Write for a generalist executive audience. Picture your reader as intelligent but unfamiliar with the specifics of your domain. Imagine a new senior leader who just joined the company. This will make it easy for anyone in your company to understand your business unit or function’s plans, metrics, results, problems, and opportunities. 2. Skip the suspense. Building suspense works in mystery novels, not in business narratives. Get to the point directly. Make sure to use concise, direct language. Every sentence should add value and distill complex ideas into a document that enables high-quality decision-making. 3. Let data tell the story. Replace adjectives with data. Instead of saying “sales accelerated,” say, “Sales in February were $150MM, a 22% increase versus January, 15% year-over-year, and 3% above plan.” Weasel words like “many” or “significant” are meaningless without context. If you can’t quantify something, explain why not and outline how you’ll get better data to quantify it in the future. 4. Anticipate and include counterarguments. Inform the reader what you considered and rejected, along with the reasons. Provide more than one option or solution when possible, and explain why you chose the recommended approach. This demonstrates that you've thought through alternatives. 5. It’s Word, not PowerPoint. Don’t just copy a Powerpoint and paste bulleted text into a Word Doc. Use full sentences and a narrative flow to tie together related data, thoughts and concepts. True narrative writing creates logical connections between ideas, shows cause and effect, and builds toward conclusions. 6. Provide insights, not a data dump. One of the most common errors made by inexperienced managers and writers is to writing documents describing activity and data, but failing to provide insights and information. Don’t try to write about everything. Summarize, distill, and provide insights. 7. Less is more. The best way to destroy the benefits of writing business narratives and conducting meetings with narratives is to bring a long document to the meeting. For a one-hour meeting, the page limit is six pages. For a 30-minute meeting, the page limit is three pages. If narratives exceed these limits, the readers will not be able to carefully read the entire document during the 15-20 minute silent reading time at the beginning of the meeting. Readers are forced to skim, and your discussion and decision-making will be based on partial information. If you would like to learn more about writing an Amazon-ready narrative, our new online course on writing narratives has launched: https://lnkd.in/gYSnerCD

When I prepped for executive meetings, I always started with 3 questions: 1/ What do I want them to understand? (message) 2/ What do I want them to do or decide? (action) 3/ What do they need to hear first? (priority) Use The MAP Framework: Message, Action, Priority. ❌ “Let me walk you through the background on the initiative, some of the challenges we’ve run into, and the different options we’ve been considering.” ✅ “We need approval to consolidate to Vendor B this quarter. Keeping both vendors in place adds $3.4M in operating cost and increases operational risk. I recommend we move forward now and absorb a 60-day transition. The main risk is short-term service disruption, which we will monitor weekly.” A common mistake strong operators make is they show up with a good grasp of their content, but not their intent. Set the table and be clear on what the recipients are to do with your information. Then use the remaining time to pressure-test via discussion and debate (some folks shy away from this, but engaged debate is an good sign — it's what you want).

How to Brief Senior Leaders Effectively: Lessons from a U.S. Diplomat In my over 16 years working in the field of diplomacy, I’ve developed and refined the art of delivering concise, actionable briefings to senior leaders, from ambassadors and cabinet members to decision-makers in high-pressure environments. Serving as a member of the leadership team and Acting Deputy Ambassador in my most recent assignments, I’ve led efforts on public affairs reporting, managing Embassy resources, risk assessment, and strategic communications. Here are three principles I’ve found essential for success: 1. Tailor the Message: Understand the leader’s priorities and decision-making style. Every briefing must align with their needs, goals, and the context in which they operate. 2. Clarity is Key: In high-stakes settings, time is limited. The ability to distill complex issues into clear, actionable points is critical. 3. Prepare for the Tough Questions: Senior leaders rely on experts who can anticipate risks, offer solutions, and provide insights that go beyond the surface. Throughout my career, I’ve briefed on critical global issues, including counter-disinformation strategies, human trafficking interventions, migration, and economic empowerment programs. Whether engaging with local stakeholders or presenting to top officials, my approach has always been rooted in precision, adaptability, and results-driven insights. These experiences have equipped me with the ability to provide clarity amidst complexity, a skill that translates seamlessly to senior roles in public affairs, risk management, and strategic communications.