Updated: 31 October 2026

One-page business case

This prompt writes a one-page business case from the problem, options, costs and benefits, including the recommended option, a cost and benefit summary with a simple payback period and risks.

text-business-case-one-page — chatgpt — 41 words

Write a one-page business case for [PROJECT].

Problem: [PROBLEM]
Options: [OPTIONS]
Costs: [COSTS]
Benefits: [BENEFITS]

Include the recommended option, cost and benefit summary with a simple payback period, risks and mitigations, timeline and what approval is needed. Keep the language simple.

Edit in the builder Copy & open ChatGPT ↗Copy & open Gemini ↗Copy & open Claude ↗

Use ranges for benefits; a conservative case is more credible than a single optimistic number.

Get a better result

What you will get

A one-page business case with the recommended option, a cost and benefit summary with a simple payback period, risks and how you would reduce them, a timeline and the approval you need, in simple language.

Why it works

A business case exists to get a decision, so the prompt ends with what approval is needed and keeps it to one page. Comparing options, including the cost of each, shows the recommendation was chosen rather than assumed. Risks with mitigations and a payback period answer the two questions every approver asks: what could go wrong, and when does this pay for itself.

Common mistake

The benefits are a single, optimistic number.

Fix: Give a low and a high estimate, as the tip says. A careful range survives questions better than a big promise.

Also watch for

The options list has one real option and two straw men. Include doing nothing and one honest cheaper option. Approvers trust a case that compared fairly.
The payback period ignores running costs. List yearly costs such as licences, upkeep and staff time, not just the price to start, so the payback maths is real.

Try a variation: spoken pitch

Ask for a two-minute spoken version for a meeting: the problem, the option you recommend, the cost, the payback and the decision you need today.

Still not right? Reply with this

Recalculate the payback period using the low benefit estimate and include yearly running costs. Show the working in a small table.