AI Business Case & Operating Model Design

The numbers, before the enthusiasm.

AI Business Case & Operating Model Design, Business Consulting at Ganexa
Overview

What is AI Business Case & Operating Model Design?

The AI business case usually arrives after the decision. Someone wants to do the thing, and the spreadsheet is reverse-engineered to agree.

We build it the other way round: what does this cost, including the data work, the change work and the running cost everyone forgets, and what does it plausibly return. Then who owns it once it exists, which is the question that quietly sinks more AI than any model choice.

Our cases often come back negative. That's a result. Finding out on a spreadsheet costs a week; finding out in production costs a year.

Services provided

A cost that includes the boring parts: data, change, and running it
A return you'd be willing to defend in a year's time
Named ownership for the thing once it's live
The operating model: who decides, who builds, who runs it
A defensible no, if that's where the numbers land

Insights

What the data says

Five things we keep seeing in AI business cases. Pick one, or let them play through.

01

Use ← → keys to move between them.
Insights

Related reading

Why Ganexa

Where Ganexa stands out

We're happy to conclude no. A business case that always says yes isn't a business case.

Run cost is in the model. AI is cheap to pilot and expensive to keep.

Ownership is part of the case, not an afterthought for the operating manual.

How we work together

Your engagement roadmap

From AI opportunity to a board-ready decision.

Your AI business case roadmap: from AI opportunity to a board-ready decisionAnimated roadmap in four columns. Value discovery sizes AI impact across five functions and selects the top three. The business case draws a cumulative cash curve with a 14-month payback, three scenarios and funding gates. The operating model adds AI-assisted roles, an AI centre of excellence and a governance board. The board pack assembles into a board-ready investment proposal. HOW WE WORK TOGETHER From AI opportunity to a board-ready decision PHASE 1Weeks 1–2Value DiscoverySize where AI creates value PHASE 2Weeks 3–4Business Case BuildModel returns, risk and funding PHASE 3Weeks 5–6Operating Model DesignRedesign roles and governance PHASE 4Weeks 7–8Board PreparationBuild and rehearse the proposal AI value opportunity map Investment business case Target operating model Board investment proposal Customer serviceCost / Customer experience Top 1 OperationsProductivity Top 2 SalesRevenue Top 3 FinanceCost MarketingRevenue Industry AI benchmark Competitive AI threatHigh Cumulative cash0122436months UpsideDownside Base Payback Staged funding gates IRRmodelled Paybackmodelled Scenariostested Executive team Customer Service agentAI AnalystAI Operations PlannerAI SupervisorAI Finance ControllerAI AnalystAI AI = role redesigned as AI-assisted AI centre of excellenceNew capability AI governance boardNew capability Current Pilot Scale Transition plan Executive summaryThe decision, in one page Financial appendixNPV, IRR and scenarios Risk mitigation planRisks, owners, controls Competitive urgency narrative Rehearsed with leadership Approval documents final Board-ready proposalOne clear ask, fully evidenced
Scroll across to see the full roadmap
Who this is for

Built for where you are

CFO blocking AI investment

“Our CTO is excited about AI but I’m not signing off a budget that size without a clear business case. Show me the ROI, the payback period, and what happens if it doesn’t work. I need numbers, not demos.”

We build a CFO-grade AI business case: detailed financial modelling with NPV, IRR, and sensitivity analysis. We define milestone-based funding gates so the investment is de-risked at each stage. We model best, base, and worst-case scenarios with clear exit criteria.

What good looks like: an investment decision made on a case the CFO would defend, with funding released in stages against milestones and clear criteria for stopping.

Company wondering how AI changes their business

“Our competitors are using AI and our customers are asking about it. But we don’t understand how AI actually changes our business model, our revenue, our costs, our value proposition. We’re reacting, not leading.”

We conduct a comprehensive AI business impact assessment: mapping every part of your value chain against AI potential, quantifying the revenue opportunity and cost reduction, and identifying entirely new revenue streams or business models that AI enables for your specific industry.

What good looks like: leadership can explain how AI changes the business model, where the real opportunities sit, and the order in which to pursue them.

PE firm assessing AI value creation

“We acquired a manufacturing company and our investment thesis includes AI-driven operational improvement. We need to quantify the AI value creation potential and build it into the 100-day plan.”

We assess the portfolio company’s AI readiness and value creation potential across operations (predictive maintenance, quality), supply chain (demand forecasting, inventory optimisation), and customer (personalisation, pricing). We build AI into the value creation plan with specific financial targets and timelines.

What good looks like: AI initiatives written into the 100-day plan with financial targets the board can track, and an honest view of which parts of the investment thesis hold up.

Deliverables

What you walk away with

AI Value Opportunity Map

Comprehensive mapping of AI impact across your value chain: revenue enhancement, cost reduction, productivity improvement, and customer experience, each opportunity quantified with estimated financial impact.

AI Investment Business Case

CFO-ready financial document with NPV, IRR, payback analysis, sensitivity modelling, milestone-based funding structure, and risk-adjusted return scenarios.

AI Operating Model Blueprint

Target-state organisational design showing how roles, processes, governance, and decision-making change in an AI-augmented operating model, with a transition roadmap from current to future state.

Competitive AI Intelligence Brief

Analysis of how competitors and industry leaders are using AI, with implications for your strategic positioning and urgency assessment.

AI Revenue Innovation Workshop Output

Documented results from structured ideation sessions exploring new AI-enabled revenue streams, pricing models, products, and business models specific to your industry.

Board AI Investment Proposal

Executive presentation package with strategic rationale, financial projections, risk mitigation, and implementation timeline, ready for board or investor approval.

Ready to build the business case that gets AI investment approved?

In a 30-minute AI business case session, we’ll discuss your organisation’s strategic priorities, identify the highest-value AI opportunities for your specific business, and outline what a board-ready investment case would look like. If your CFO or board needs convincing, this conversation is the first step.