AI for business · Decision tool

Build a business case without inventing an ROI number

Beginner · Published 2026-10-05 · Reviewed 2026-10-05

Tools: Multi-tool
Audience: Managers and small-business operators
Topic: AI for business

A calculator and financial report beside a chart on screen

You’ll finish with: a business case that states what is known and what must be tested.

A business case can be useful before you have a glossy savings number. Show what you measured, what you assumed and what would change the decision. Precision is not the same as evidence.

Set up

Allow 25 minutes. Use a calculator and your trial log. If you have no measurements, use the invented figures here and label the result as a worked example.

Download this guide’s practice sheet ↓

Try this example

FICTIONAL PRACTICE MATERIAL
Observed over 5 runs: total 30 minutes saved after review. Assumed frequency: 20 runs a month. Proposed subscription: AUD 30 monthly. Staff time valued for planning at AUD 40 an hour. No staff costs will actually be removed.

Do the task

Calculate the measured average and a separately labelled monthly scenario.
Compare the cost with the value of capacity, not automatically with cash savings.
List adoption, quality and frequency assumptions before recommending a purchase.

Your reusable prompt

Build a short decision note from these figures. Show observed average time saved, projected monthly capacity, subscription cost and assumptions. Distinguish released time from a reduction in spending.

PRACTICE INPUT
Observed over 5 runs: total 30 minutes saved after review. Assumed frequency: 20 runs a month. Proposed subscription: AUD 30 monthly. Staff time valued for planning at AUD 40 an hour. No staff costs will actually be removed.

Refine your result

Calculate the task frequency needed to cover the subscription under the stated assumptions. Do not claim that covering cost proves the tool is worthwhile.

Check the result

Average saving is 6 minutes; 20 runs suggests 2 hours or AUD 80 of capacity value. At AUD 4 per run, 8 whole runs exceed the AUD 30 subscription. These are conditional estimates, not payroll savings.

Save and reuse

Save the decision record with the trial log and a review date. Check the assumptions after the first paid month.

Sources and notes

Writing clear prompts Checked 2026-10-05

The practice input and teaching prompt are original 5HO material. Examples are fictional; they are not screenshots or claims of a completed real-world task.
Official documentation supports the relevant product concepts. Setup availability depends on your account; where a guide offers a fallback, it does not prove the connected capability worked.