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Business case

AI Business Case Template for Budget Approval

Use this AI business case template to justify AI software spend with ROI assumptions, labor savings, quality gains, risk reduction, adoption plan, implementation cost, and payback period.

Updated 2026-06-24Business caseBuyer enablement page
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1

Executive summary

Start with the business decision, not the model or vendor name.

  • State the workflow problem, current cost, proposed AI solution, expected outcome, and requested budget.
  • Summarize pilot evidence, risk controls, implementation effort, and payback period.
  • Explain why this workflow should be automated or assisted now.
2

ROI assumptions

A useful AI business case separates hard savings from softer productivity claims.

  • Estimate labor hours saved, error reduction, throughput increase, quality improvement, revenue lift, or risk reduction.
  • Include adoption rate, reviewer effort, ramp time, exception rate, usage costs, and implementation costs.
  • Show conservative, expected, and aggressive scenarios so finance can judge sensitivity.
3

Risk and rollout plan

Budget approval needs confidence that AI risk is controlled after purchase.

  • List security, privacy, compliance, legal, model behavior, and operational risks with mitigation owners.
  • Define rollout phases, training, governance, support, measurement cadence, and renewal review.
  • Document stop conditions and fallback paths if the tool underperforms.

Checklist

  • The business case states a measurable current baseline.
  • ROI assumptions include adoption, ramp time, exception handling, and usage cost.
  • Pilot evidence is attached or clearly summarized.
  • Security and governance risks have owners and mitigation steps.
  • The rollout plan includes measurement after launch.
  • Finance can see payback period and sensitivity scenarios.

How to use this template

  1. 1Start with pilot results or a conservative workflow baseline.
  2. 2Use the ROI calculator to estimate payback and sensitivity.
  3. 3Attach vendor scorecard and security questionnaire findings.
  4. 4Ask finance to review assumptions before executive approval.

Related buyer links

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FAQ

Questions about this AI template

What should an AI business case include?

An AI business case should include the workflow baseline, expected ROI, pilot evidence, total cost, security risks, implementation plan, adoption plan, governance model, payback period, and renewal measurement.

How do I make AI ROI believable?

Use conservative assumptions, separate hard savings from productivity gains, include reviewer effort and usage cost, and validate the model with pilot evidence or historical workflow data.