Business Case Templates You’ll Actually Want to Use

It can be really hard to find business case templates online that feel good. They’re often rigid, overly formal, and missing the sections executives really care about.

This page fixes that.

Here, you get modern, practical, cleanly structured business case templates you can drop into your workflow immediately. But more importantly, you get templates designed to think with you. They guide your logic, support your decisions, and make the entire justification process feel simple while helping you craft a well reasoned and intelligent argument.

And when paired with Riff, the AI agent trained as a management accountant and strategist, these templates become more than documents - they become workspace for decision-making.

Why Templates Matter More Than You Think

Templates are often dismissed as “starter files,” but in reality, they’re powerful thought leadership. The structure you start with often shapes the quality of thinking you end up with. A vague template creates vague reasoning. A structured template creates structured thinking.

Your business case template should:

• Direct you toward clarity

• Guide financial justification

• Keep your argument cohesive

• Make it easy for others to skim and understand

And equally important, your template shouldn’t feel overwhelming. The point is to reduce cognitive load, not add to it.

That’s why these templates are intentionally conversational and modern. They’re built around how real business leaders evaluate decisions today.

Templates Included on This Page

You’ll find:

1. Simple Business Case Template

Perfect for smaller initiatives, internal requests, or quick ROI validations. Clear, lightweight, and fast to complete.

2. Comprehensive Business Case Template

For large investments, executive review cycles, or board-level proposals. Includes risk matrices, alternatives analysis, full cost modelling, and implementation planning.

3. Startup Business Case Template

Designed for founders validating ideas, assessing market viability, or preparing for investor conversations.

4. Technology & Infrastructure Template

For teams pitching software upgrades, cloud migrations, security investments, or infrastructure improvements.

5. Headcount / Hiring Business Case Template

A clean, narrative-driven structure that helps justify new roles with ROI clarity.

How Riff Enhances Every Template

Riff turns your template into a guided working session. Instead of starting with a blank page, you can start with a chat. Riff will add:

• Auto-filled sections based on the context you provide

• Financial modelling, including ROI, payback period, and sensitivity analysis

• Risk analysis recommendations that feel like they’ve come from a CFO

• Narrative improvements that make everything clearer and more persuasive

• Executive‑ready summaries built instantly

Most users describe working with Riff’s like this:

“It feels like talking to a level-headed friend who takes your messy ideas and turns them into something great.”

How to Use These Templates in Your Workflow

1. Copy the template into Riff, Google Docs, Notion, Word, or your preferred word editor.

2. Fill in the basic context — even rough notes are enough.

3. If you didn’t start in Riff, then you can paste the entire draft into Riff.

4. Ask Riff to analyse, improve, expand, or restructure it.

5. Review the executive output and apply Riff’s suggestions.

You don’t need to be a financial expert, strategist, or seasoned project manager. You need only bring your expertise and Riff will translate that into the language of business strategic decision making.