How do you make a business case for investing in a breakthrough product idea before building it?

Answer

3 Answers

Product Innovation

Pavan Kumar

Gainsight Director, Product Management | Formerly Cisco • 2mo

Start by tying the idea to a clear business outcome, then de-risk it with evidence before asking for full investment. Anchor on the “why now” What market shift, customer pain, or tech inflection makes this urgent? Frame it as the opportunity cost of not investing Quantify the upside (without overfitting) Define the problem size (TAM to realistic reachable value) Map to revenue, retention, or cost leverage Show early proof, not just vision Customer signals: interviews, design partners, willingnes ...Read More

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Paresh Vakhariya

Atlassian Director of Product Management (Confluence) | Formerly PayPal, eBay, Intel, Verizon • 1y

Some key components of a business case are: Problem statement: could include end customer/user issues, technological issues or market data. Size of the problem: why is it important to solve it and solve it now? Competitive analysis: what are other products building or doing well? Solutions: one or more ideas to solve the problems Company goals and strategy: how does this fit with company goals and help grow them? What is the long term impact of this solution? Design ideas: are there design sugge ...Read More

891 Views
Rupali Jain

Optimizely Chief Product Officer • 2y

The answer really depends on the size and scope of the idea. Making a case for a big idea is a mix of storytelling and hard facts. Here's my approach Start with the Story: Describe the problem your breakthrough idea tackles. Paint a vivid picture of why it's a big deal—make it relatable, when possible tell it in the voice of a real customer. This step is key and often skipped, but it's the heart of your case. As you get further in the process, visualize this story with design mocks, trust me, th ...Read More

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