This chapter does not cover the detailed building of business cases. Instead, it provides some rules of thumb for calculating the scale of the benefit that can be achieved. Our insights have come from analysis of:

• various reports which estimate the scale of the benefit;

• CMAT score and company performance;

• experience of tactical and strategic projects in which our clients have been involved that led to an increase in CMAT scores;

• a few successful projects running over three years where the business cases have been tracked.

To determine the potential benefit, you must take into account the following:

• The turnover of the company, which influences the scale and variety of potential benefits.

• The size of the investment made: we have identified a ratio for return on investment (ROI) which is remarkably similar for a number of different companies.

• The maturity and competence of the organization in customer management. This affects first, the size of the investment needed; second, the potential prize; and third, the expected timing of benefit. These in turn determine the project risk.