Business case with cost options

How it works

1. Compare alternatives

   Write the cost, expected saving and trade-off for each option in a padded table.

2. Show uncertainty

   Explain how lower savings change the payback estimate.

3. Name the next checks

   Assign financial validation, measurement and approval actions.

The example below shows the document API and layout used for this report. Follow the Word guide for package setup in your own project.

using OfficeIMO.Word;

namespace OfficeIMO.Examples.Showcase.Workflows {
    /// <summary>Creates an editable business case: service intake with a decision, supporting table and named next actions.</summary>
    internal static class BusinessCase {
        internal static void Create(string folder) {
            using var document = WordDocument.Create(Path.Combine(folder, "example.docx"));
            document.Settings.FontFamily = "Carlito";
            document.Settings.FontSize = 11;
            document.BuiltinDocumentProperties.Title = "Business case: service intake";
            document.AddParagraph("Business case: service intake").Style = WordParagraphStyles.Heading1;
            document.AddParagraph("NORTHWIND / INVESTMENT REVIEW / ILLUSTRATIVE ESTIMATE");
            document.AddParagraph("Decide whether a shared intake form is worth a six-week pilot. The baseline is 240 requests per month; every amount below is an estimate.");
            document.AddParagraph("Compare the options").Style = WordParagraphStyles.Heading2;
            string[][] rows = {
                new[] { "Option", "One-off cost", "Monthly saving", "Trade-off" },
                new[] { "Keep current queues", "EUR 0", "EUR 0", "Manual triage continues" },
                new[] { "Improve the existing form", "EUR 4,800", "EUR 700", "Limited reporting" },
                new[] { "Build a shared intake", "EUR 9,600", "EUR 1,200", "Needs an owning team" }
            };
            var table = document.AddTable(rows.Length, 4, WordTableStyle.TableGrid);
            table.SetWidthPercentage(100);
            table.SetColumnWidthsPercentage(25, 20, 30, 25);
            for (int row = 0; row < rows.Length; row++) {
                for (int column = 0; column < 4; column++) {
                    var cell = table.Rows[row].Cells[column];
                    cell.MarginTopCentimeters = 0.14;
                    cell.MarginBottomCentimeters = 0.14;
                    cell.MarginLeftCentimeters = 0.16;
                    cell.MarginRightCentimeters = 0.16;
                    cell.ShadingFillColorHex = row == 0 ? "17365D" : row % 2 == 0 ? "F1F5F9" : "FFFFFF";
                    var paragraph = cell.Paragraphs[0];
                    paragraph.Text = rows[row][column];
                    paragraph.Bold = row == 0;
                    paragraph.ColorHex = row == 0 ? "FFFFFF" : "243247";
                    paragraph.FontFamily = "Carlito";
                    paragraph.FontSize = 10;
                    paragraph.LineSpacingAfterPoints = 2;
                }
            }
            document.AddParagraph("Recommendation and sensitivity").Style = WordParagraphStyles.Heading2;
            document.AddParagraph("Pilot the existing-form improvement first. At the estimated saving, simple payback is about seven months; at half the saving it is about fourteen. This excludes tax, financing and ongoing support cost.");
            document.AddParagraph("Next actions").Style = WordParagraphStyles.Heading2;
            var actions = document.AddList(WordListStyle.Bulleted);
            actions.AddItem("Finance: replace estimates with a full cost model.");
            actions.AddItem("Operations: measure triage time before and during the pilot.");
            actions.AddItem("Sponsor: review results before committing to a wider rollout.");
            foreach (var paragraph in document.Paragraphs) {
                paragraph.FontFamily = "Carlito";
                bool title = paragraph.Style == WordParagraphStyles.Heading1;
                bool heading = paragraph.Style == WordParagraphStyles.Heading2;
                paragraph.FontSize = title ? 26 : heading ? 15 : 11;
                paragraph.LineSpacingBeforePoints = heading ? 14 : 0;
                paragraph.LineSpacingAfterPoints = title ? 14 : heading ? 8 : 7;
                if (title || heading) {
                    paragraph.ColorHex = "17365D";
                    paragraph.Bold = true;
                    paragraph.KeepWithNext = true;
                }
            }
            document.Save();
        }
    }
}

Use this in your project

Replace sample amounts with an approved cost model; include ongoing support, tax and financing when relevant.

The Word guide explains package setup and related document APIs.

Continue with another example

• WordProject charter
• WordMeeting minutes and actions