Idea intake andbusiness case

When to use

Use this playbook when someone in the business asks for a change that might be a strategic project. If the change fits inside one Home Team and is size S or smaller, it is probably Discretionary work. Add it to that Home Team's backlog instead.

Roles

• Product Manager: leads. You write the business case with the sponsor and present it at the intake review.
• Business Executive sponsor: owns the business outcome and agrees the case is worth more work.
• Program Manager: runs the intake review, keeps the idea log and checks for overlap with work already in flight.

Before you start

• Find a Business Executive sponsor. An idea without a sponsor doesn't go to intake.
• Search the idea log for anything similar, so you don't duplicate an idea that is already in progress.
• Check that the idea isn't Run work or Discretionary work. Use the questions in Run, Change and Discretionary work.

Steps

1. Log the idea. Add a line to the idea log with a working title, the sponsor and the date. The Program Manager assigns an ID.
2. Meet the sponsor. Spend 45 minutes on the problem, not the solution: who is affected, what it costs them today and what would change if we fixed it.
3. Draft the business case. Fill in the one-page business case template. Keep it to one page. If you can't, the idea probably needs splitting.
4. Name the measure of success. Pick one or two measures you could check within 6 months of delivery, such as "cut first-report-of-injury handling time from 3 days to 1".
5. Note the obvious risks and dependencies. List the platforms and Home Teams the idea touches. You don't need a design yet.
6. Send the case ahead. Share the business case with the intake review attendees at least two working days before the review.
7. Present at the intake review. Take 10 minutes: problem, outcome, measure, sponsor. Leave the rest for questions.
8. Record the Gate 1 decision. The Product Manager and the sponsor decide one of:
   • Accepted: the idea moves to high-level design review.
   • Redirected: it's Discretionary work, so it goes to the Home Team's backlog.
   • Declined: it stops here. Record the reason in the idea log.

Outputs

• A one-page business case, stored with the idea log entry.
• A recorded Gate 1 decision with its date and reason.
• For accepted ideas, a named Product Manager who carries the idea through Discovery.

Pitfalls

• Bringing a solution instead of a problem. The business case should still make sense if the eventual design is completely different.
• Measures you can't check. "Improve agent experience" can't be measured. "Halve quote turnaround for agents" can.
• Skipping the sponsor. Ideas without a Business Executive sponsor stall at prioritization, so it's better to find out at intake.