Unleash the powers of the cloud in your organisation. Turn your grande vision into a business case. Prepare for any future ahead. Here’s how.

This article is part of the limited preview of the “The Missing Cloud Programme Roadmap”, a generic roadmap for any enterprise cloud adoption programme.

1. Executive Summary
2. The Cloud and Enterprises
3. The Missing Cloud Programme Roadmap
   1. The Cloud Programme Roadmap
   2. The First Iteration of The Cloud Programme Roadmap
   3. The Unavoidable Disclaimer
   4. The Roadmap for The Missing Cloud Programme Roadmap
   5. The Manual for the Missing Manual
   6. Building the Business Case
      1. Key Achievements
      2. The Definition of Cloud
         1. The NIST Definition of Cloud Computing
         2. An Alternative Definition of Public Cloud
         3. The Organisation’s Definition
      3. The Rationale for the Cloud Programme
         1. The Motivations and Grande Opportunities
            1. Improving the Status Quo
            2. Leveraging One-Off Opportunities
         2. The Anticipated Outcomes
         3. The Broader Picture
         4. The Business You’re In
      4. Managing the Message
      5. Securing Regulatory Approval
      6. Connecting With Your Peers
      7. Recording Outcomes: The Cloud Manifesto
   7. Starting the Cloud Programme
   8. Iteratively Building the Delivery Pipeline
   9. Iteratively Executing the Delivery Pipeline
4. A Cloudy Future

Building the Business Case

Adopting the cloud in an organisation and subsequently unleashing its powers is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to redefine the capabilities of modern corporate technology. However, the entire undertaking still needs to make sense from a business perspective, first and foremost.

The first phase therefore starts by creating a common understanding of cloud and then delineates the expected benefits to the organisation, culminating in the business case. Additionally, this also creates crucial organisational alignment and vital consensus amongst key stakeholders.

The first step is to arrive at an unambiguous definition of cloud for the organisation, drawing on the widely accepted NIST definition of cloud computing and an alternative definition of public cloud.

This common understanding then allows to realistically fathom out the organisation’s rationale for adopting the cloud in the first place. Assess the motivations, including improvements to the status quo and leveraging one-off opportunities. Determine the expected delta leap the cloud programme is supposed to be delivering for the organisation. But also consider the broader picture. The business the organisation is (or should be) in. And carefully manage the message.

Securing regulatory approval in writing is a major and crucial step forward. Connecting with peers not only offers the rare opportunity to obtain “cloud mentors” but to also secure access to external views and avoid falling for the groupthink fallacy.

The Cloud Manifesto then captures all definitions, frameworks, assessments, metrics, data points, decisions, and rationales driving the organisation’s decision to adopt the cloud — or not. Assuming that the decision is to adopt the cloud, this document especially provides the raison d’être for the corresponding cloud programme to be started in the next phase.

Key Achievements

Find out more about it in the next article.

So, How Do You Build the Business Case?!

While the above Worx for Me!™ when it comes to building the business case, you may have an alternative or better way.

Think this is all rubbish, massively overrated, or generally heading into the absolutely wrong direction?! Feel free to reach out to me on LinkedIn and teach me something new!

As always, prove me wrong and I’ll buy you a pint!