When is the right time to write a business case?

questions and answers

• Is this the right time to be writing a business case? Does it fulfil a need that the organisation has?

     if yes: get on and do it!
     if no: then get a comms plan for priming the senior management and look into triage for collections.  
     use this triage to help inform the business case. Consider getting digital preservation mandate onto the agenda of senior managers

• Have any digital preservation projects been undertaken successfully in the organization before now?

     if yes: make sure you know the lessons learned.  Why has it not been continued? what elements of infrastructure 
     or staffing or expertise can be re-used
     if no: need to understand what has prevented them from developing, or why they failed.  

• Has the senior management been primed to the issue of preservation?

     if yes: the it's safe to proceed.  You might want to get one of your champions to comment on a draft case 
     if no: then identify a champion in senior management and talk to them informally.  Use their feedback to help 
     form the case and figure out how formal or informal the case needs to be.

• What evidence is there that senior management would be receptive to a business case?

     if there is evidence then you need to build on their expectations
     if not, then examine the strategic plan, operational plan, mandates and regulatory and legal environment
     to find reasons why they would be more receptive.

• What is the cycle of decision making / budgets in the organisation? What is the best point in this planning cycle to make a business case?

• What can you do in the short term - can you triage your collection? Damage control

• What components are available now (staff/storage)? When will these components become available?

long term vision/approach

       short term components - staff, storage, etc 

• Is the technology mature enough to deliver preservation
• Will new solutions emerge that simplify the problem
• Is the organisation nimble enough to respond to a problem?
• What is the budget forecast - should we be looking to a short term project or a longer term commitment

   further information
       link to maturity assessement tools and approaches (e.g. AIDA).