AI Business Case
The case for one AI initiative, in numbers: three-year P&L impact, full TCO, NPV, payback and sensitivities — built to survive the CFO's third question. For the CFO, the head of AI, a business-unit leader or an operating partner.
PRICE
€5,000
DELIVERY
2 weeks
REVIEW
Signed by a partner
§ 01 · The problem
"The CFO killed the project. The numbers didn't hold up under scrutiny."
Most AI business cases die in the CFO's office. Benefits are estimated optimistically. Costs exclude integration, change management, inference. ROI assumptions can't be defended. The case looks compelling in committee — then collapses when finance asks the third question.
This Signature fixes the model before it faces finance: three-year P&L impact with explicit assumptions, a total cost of ownership that includes the lines most cases forget, and sensitivities that survive the CFO's stress test. Built to be defended, not pitched.
§ 02 · What you get
A financial model that survives the CFO's third question.
Five deliverables built around the way finance teams actually scrutinize investment cases. Designed to be defended, not just presented.
DELIVERABLE 01
3-year P&L impact model
Quarterly P&L lines: revenue uplift, cost reduction, productivity gains, offsets. Driver-based, fully traceable from assumption to bottom line. Excel/Google Sheets, ready for your FP&A team.
DELIVERABLE 02
Total cost of ownership
Build, license, inference, integration, change management, ongoing ops. The lines other cases forget — and the ones finance will ask about first. Calibrated against benchmarks from comparable deployments.
DELIVERABLE 03
NPV, IRR & payback
Three classic financial metrics, calculated against your WACC. The numbers your investment committee or CFO needs in the first slide — and the methodology trail behind them.
DELIVERABLE 04
Sensitivity & scenario analysis
Tornado chart on the top assumptions. Optimistic, base, conservative scenarios with break-even thresholds. The slide that pre-empts the "what if adoption is half?" question.
DELIVERABLE 05
Investment memo
6-8 page memo that wraps the numbers into a defensible narrative. Funding ask, key risks, mitigation, decision points. The document that goes to investment committee with the model attached.
§ 03 · Process & timeline
Two weeks. Three sessions. Investment-committee ready.
From scoping to a committee-ready memo, co-built with your FP&A team so the model stays maintainable after delivery.
WEEK 1
Scoping session
90-min session: target initiative, key drivers, available data, WACC, decision context. We map the financial logic before touching Excel.
WEEK 1
Model construction
Build the driver-based model: benefits, TCO, NPV/IRR/payback. Benchmark calibration on key assumptions. First draft delivered for async review with your FP&A.
WEEK 2
Stress-test session
90-min joint session with sponsor + FP&A. Challenge every assumption. Sensitivity analysis built live. Conservative scenario calibrated against finance's appetite.
WEEK 2
Memo & finalization
Investment memo drafted. Model refinements applied. All five deliverables finalized with cross-references. Audit trail documented.
END OF WEEK 2
Handover & rehearsal
90-min handover: walkthrough of model and memo, key risks rehearsal, anticipated CFO questions. You leave able to defend every line.
§ 04 · Frequently asked
Six honest answers to common questions.
Do we need to have a specific initiative in mind?
Yes — this Signature builds the case for one defined initiative. If you are still choosing between options, start with AI Portfolio Arbitration. Once you have picked the bet, this Signature makes the case.
What if our data on costs and benefits is thin?
Most are. We work with what you have — and use benchmarks from comparable deployments to triangulate. The model surfaces what's known vs estimated explicitly. Finance teams respect transparency about uncertainty more than false precision.
Will the model integrate with our existing FP&A tools?
The model is delivered as Excel or Google Sheets — your FP&A team can integrate it into Anaplan, Adaptive, Tagetik, or any planning tool. We don't lock you into a proprietary format. The audit trail and assumptions are preserved.
What if the case doesn't pencil out?
It happens — and we say so explicitly. Better to discover a negative NPV in week one of modeling than month six of building. We've delivered cases that concluded "fund a smaller pilot first" or "the value isn't there at current cost." That's a valid outcome.
How does this differ from a generic ROI calculator?
ROI calculators give you a single headline number from a few inputs. This delivers a driver-based 3-year model with full TCO, NPV/IRR/payback, sensitivities, and an investment memo. The difference is what survives committee scrutiny vs what doesn't.
Can you present the case alongside us at investment committee?
By default, no — you own the case and present it. We brief you thoroughly during handover. If you'd like co-presence for the committee meeting, that's a separate engagement we can scope. We don't pad the base offering with optional services you may not need.
§ Ready when you are
Defend the case before the CFO has to kill it.
€5,000, two weeks, signed by a partner. The financial model your investment committee approves — because it was built to be defended.