Case study template

1. Case study template Case Study TemplatePurposeThe purpose of this tool is to assist you with the creation of an effective Case Study. Focus onwhat is critical for your business, and modify this template as necessary.ScopeBefore you start, consider the purpose of your Case Study. Will this be used for internalknowledge management, external product/service marketing, or both?Ensure you use a consistent structure and layout for your Case Studies to make them easier toread and write. This tool will provide a simple format for creating your Case Study, and provideinstructions for launching and managing your Case Study once you are finished.Best Practices Always base your Case Study on an issue that has a significant impact on your target audience. What are the problems that your solution solves? Support your Case Study with hard numbers. Use charts, tables, figures or statistics where applicable to enhance your credibility, but don’t overload. Avoid using proprietary terms or technical jargon. Insert names, titles, and quotes from customers or partners involved. Communicate both the expected and achieved Return on Investment.1.Introduction Provide a brief overview of your business. Describe the organization and key executives who were involved.

2. Outline the most important issues for the client organization. Clearly communicate the value that your organization delivered. Include some background information that may be relevant. For example, ‘recent merger resulting in a major review of all systems and processes’. Discuss the poignant characteristics of the industry involved.2. Body of the Case StudyEnsure your case study includes all necessary information, but keep it concise. Limit theamount of graphics to one or two per page. Following are the 5 key sections: a. Problem b. Analysis of Alternatives c. Recommended Solution d. Implementation e. ResultsA. Problem Focus on the pain points for the customer and the impact of that pain. Discuss the symptoms of the problem and its root causes. For example, ‘resulting from the lack of a sales force automation solution, leads were slipping through the cracks…’ Identify the role of each stakeholder involved in the initiative. Describe how the problem affected the goals & objectives of the organization and which levels of the organization were most impacted. Briefly communicate the structure, funding, and/or project plan for the initiative. Specifically, what lead the customer to evaluate your solution? Outline the environment that the solution had to fit.B. Analysis of Alternatives Discuss the approach involved with evaluating each potential solution. What process (research, # of competitive bids, etc) did the customer go through? Mention a few of the different solutions that were considered. Clearly explain why your approached proved to be the best alternative. Outline the most important issues for the client organization. Clearly communicate the value that your organization delivered. Include some background information that may be relevant. For example, ‘recent merger resulting in a major review of all systems and processes’. Discuss the poignant characteristics of the industry involved.2. Body of the Case StudyEnsure your case study includes all necessary information, but keep it concise. Limit theamount of graphics to one or two per page. Following are the 5 key sections: a. Problem b. Analysis of Alternatives c. Recommended Solution d. Implementation e. ResultsA. Problem Focus on the pain points for the customer and the impact of that pain. Discuss the symptoms of the problem and its root causes. For example, ‘resulting from the lack of a sales force automation solution, leads were slipping through the cracks…’ Identify the role of each stakeholder involved in the initiative. Describe how the problem affected the goals & objectives of the organization and which levels of the organization were most impacted. Briefly communicate the structure, funding, and/or project plan for the initiative. Specifically, what lead the customer to evaluate your solution? Outline the environment that the solution had to fit.B. Analysis of Alternatives Discuss the approach involved with evaluating each potential solution. What process (research, # of competitive bids, etc) did the customer go through? Mention a few of the different solutions that were considered. Clearly explain why your approached proved to be the best alternative.

3. C. Recommended Solution Provide the business case that was used to select your solution. What were the reasons your solution rose above the competing approaches. Include any custom changes that needed to be made to make your solution fit the environment. This can demonstrate flexibility and great customer service.D. Implementation Explain any specific challenges that arose during the implementation. Discuss how you solved these issues, and what the outcome was. Suggest any tips that could help others who are involved in the process. Mention any parts of the project that were unsuccessful, and describe why your solution or approach did not work. Potential customers will appreciate your humility and will gain value from learning what practices to avoid. Discuss how the implementation occurred. How long did it take? How did you do more than the customer expected? Demonstrate how your product/service provided a solution for the problem the organization was facing. Be sure you describe the results in quantified, measurable terms.E. Results Provide a brief summary of the benefits that were realized by implementing your solution, from each key stakeholder perspective. Include contact information for reference customer. Be sure you have asked their permission to be a reference ahead of time. Show how your product/service solved the customer’s problem. Use hard numbers to prove increases in market share, revenue, etc. Document the return on investment in terms of increased revenue, reduced costs, or improved productivity. Demonstrate how your solution improved the organizations operations. Include a customer quote.2) Launching your Case Study C. Recommended Solution Provide the business case that was used to select your solution. What were the reasons your solution rose above the competing approaches. Include any custom changes that needed to be made to make your solution fit the environment. This can demonstrate flexibility and great customer service.D. Implementation Explain any specific challenges that arose during the implementation. Discuss how you solved these issues, and what the outcome was. Suggest any tips that could help others who are involved in the process. Mention any parts of the project that were unsuccessful, and describe why your solution or approach did not work. Potential customers will appreciate your humility and will gain value from learning what practices to avoid. Discuss how the implementation occurred. How long did it take? How did you do more than the customer expected? Demonstrate how your product/service provided a solution for the problem the organization was facing. Be sure you describe the results in quantified, measurable terms.E. Results Provide a brief summary of the benefits that were realized by implementing your solution, from each key stakeholder perspective. Include contact information for reference customer. Be sure you have asked their permission to be a reference ahead of time. Show how your product/service solved the customer’s problem. Use hard numbers to prove increases in market share, revenue, etc. Document the return on investment in terms of increased revenue, reduced costs, or improved productivity. Demonstrate how your solution improved the organizations operations. Include a customer quote.2) Launching your Case Study

4. Save your Case Study to a shared drive that is easily accessible to staff.Include your Case Study in a Press Release or company newsletter.E-mail to current prospective customers who have similar problems.Send to Sales staff for use as a communication tool and/or reference.Use as a testimonial for a specific industry or type of company.Post on your corporate website or customer portal. Save your Case Study to a shared drive that is easily accessible to staff.Include your Case Study in a Press Release or company newsletter.E-mail to current prospective customers who have similar problems.Send to Sales staff for use as a communication tool and/or reference.Use as a testimonial for a specific industry or type of company.Post on your corporate website or customer portal.