Captain's Log Entry 7156—Can you produce business case results showing anything you want to show?
“Figures don’t lie but liars figure.”
– Attributed to Mark Twain and others
Deploy and deliver business cash flow forecasts, financial metrics, and tactical advice for actions and investments. Build a compelling rationale that turns business case results into convincing business case proof.
One reason that business case results do not always receive support, no doubt, is this. Many believe that case results can be made to show anything the author wants them to show.
Is that belief really valid?
To be fair, not all who use business case analysis to support proposals intend to deceive. For many, however, personal biases and motives do shape case results. In business analysis and in scientific research, this is known as solving to a result. Keep “working” the numbers until they show you what you want to see! And, with the results you want in hand, everyone knows that figures don’t lie!