Internal approval documents

How to write a business case with Claude: make the argument clearly, back it with numbers, get the yes faster.

A business case is a persuasion document with a financial backbone. Claude builds the structure and the narrative. You supply the numbers, the strategic context, and the judgment about what the decision-makers care about.

THE SHORT VERSION
Claude is most useful for business cases in structuring the argument and drafting the narrative sections. The financial modeling is yours; the document that wraps it is Claude. A business case that used to take three days to write well takes a day.
Bill Colbert
Treetop Growth Strategy — Updated May 2026
The structure

What a strong business case includes

Business case structure prompt
I need to write a business case for [initiative]. Context: Proposal: [describe what you are asking approval for] Problem/opportunity: [describe the situation driving the need] Financial summary: [investment required, expected return, payback period] Risks: [list 2-3 key risks and mitigations] Alternatives considered: [what else was evaluated] Why now: [what creates urgency] Decision maker: [who approves this and what they care about] Write a business case with: Executive Summary, Problem Statement, Proposed Solution, Financial Analysis narrative (I will supply the numbers), Implementation Plan overview, Risk Assessment, Alternatives Considered, and Recommendation. Make the executive summary strong enough to stand alone.
Financial narrative

How to write the numbers section

Claude does not build financial models, but it excels at writing the narrative around your numbers. Run your own numbers first. Then paste them into Claude: "Here are my financial projections: [paste data]. Write the financial analysis narrative. Explain the key assumptions, translate the ROI into plain language for a non-finance reader, and flag the one sensitivity that could change the outcome most significantly."

Time estimate: Full business case draft excluding financial modeling: 60-90 minutes with Claude. Editing: 45-60 minutes. Versus 2-3 days of drafting and iteration previously.

Making it persuasive

Tailoring the business case to your decision maker

Before you finalize, ask Claude to stress-test the draft: "Review this business case from the perspective of a CFO who is skeptical of the projected returns. What are the three questions she will ask that this document does not answer? Then add language that addresses each one."

Do the same for other key objections: "From the perspective of an operations leader worried about implementation risk." The prompts make the final document significantly more resilient.

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