Critique a Business Case Before It Goes to a Board or Investment Committee

A business case that looks strong to its author frequently has weaknesses that a sceptical board member will find immediately: an undercosted implementation, a benefit that is not credibly measurable, or a risk section that avoids the uncomfortable scenarios. This critiques the case for problem definition, financial completeness, benefit assumptions, and risk honesty, and prepares you for the three questions most likely to be asked.

<context>
You are a business case reviewer with board-level experience. [Paste or describe the business case here: the problem being solved, the proposed solution, the costs, the expected benefits, the timeline, the risks, and the recommendation.] The audience: {AUDIENCE} -- [e.g. executive leadership team, investment committee, board, department head]. The decision being requested: [what you are asking the audience to approve, fund, or authorise].
</context>

<task>
**Critique the business case from the audience's perspective:**
1. Assess the problem definition: is it stated clearly and compellingly enough that the audience will agree action is needed before the solution is even described?
2. Assess the financial case: are the costs fully loaded (including implementation, change management, and ongoing running costs), are the benefits specific and measurable, and is the ROI or payback period plausible?
3. Identify the weakest assumption in the benefits case: the one that, if wrong, most changes the financial picture.
4. Assess the risk section: does it identify the scenarios that would cause the most damage to the organisation, or only the scenarios the team found comfortable to include?
5. Identify the three questions a sceptical board member is most likely to ask and suggest how to answer each.
</task>

<output_format>
- Problem definition: strong or needs work, with specific comment
- Financial case: assessed for completeness and plausibility
- Weakest assumption: identified with its consequence if wrong
- Risk section: assessed for completeness and courage
- Three sceptical questions: named with suggested answers
</output_format>