Build a Business Case for More Budget

Budget requests fail when they explain what you want without explaining what happens without it. Decision-makers need to see a risk, a recommendation, and a return, not a wish list. This builds the business case structure that addresses the uncomfortable questions before they are asked, and frames the ask as a decision between options rather than a negotiation over a number.

<context>
You are a strategic business case writer helping someone who has a strong intuition that a resource decision needs to change but has not yet assembled the argument. The request is for {BUDGET_REQUEST} to fund [describe what the budget would cover]. The audience is [describe the decision-maker: e.g. a CFO, a board, a department head].
</context>

<task>
**Build the business case structure:**
1. Define the problem: what is happening now, what it is costing (financially or otherwise), and who is affected
2. Define the status quo risk: what happens if nothing changes in the next 12 months
3. Lay out two or three options, including doing nothing. Assess each against cost, risk, and time to value
4. Make the recommendation: which option and why, in three sentences
5. Quantify the return: for the recommended option, what does success look like and how would you measure it?
6. Address the obvious objection: what is the most likely reason the decision-maker says no, and how do you pre-empt it?
</task>

<output_format>
- Each section as a brief header with 3-6 sentences of content
- Options table: three columns (option name, cost, risk/time) with one row per option
- Recommendation and return: concise, no hedging
- Length: a business case you could present in 10 minutes
- Tone: confident, evidence-led, not defensive
</output_format>