Online Discussion

Building the Investment Case: What Does It Actually Take to Get Planning Investment Approved and Keep It Approved?

What does it actually take to build a planning investment case that survives contact with finance, holds up through a multi-year programme, and delivers what it promised?

Jul 15, 2026 16:00
17:00
BST
·
Online (MS Teams)
For senior supply chain leaders only
How this meeting works
  • Practitioner-led working session
  • No pitches
  • Small-group, facilitated discussion
  • Works best when you can engage actively
  • Chatham House Rule
  • Limited places to preserve quality

Suggested Discussion Points

  • What finance and the board actually need to say yes, and keep saying yes as the programme evolves
  • Why overstating the case creates long-term problems, and how to build a conservative case that still gets approved
  • The living business case: treating a multi-year transformation as a series of revisable commitments rather than a single financial decision
  • How to use ROI discipline as a design tool rather than a validation exercise
  • What needs to be true organisationally before a planning investment is likely to deliver measurable impact

Discussion Host(s)

To be confirmed.

Discussion Co-Host(s)

To be confirmed.

Moderator(s)

To be confirmed.

Why this session exists

A planning investment case that fails to survive contact with finance usually reflects a problem with how it was constructed, not how it was presented. This session examines what a credible, scrutiny-resistant investment case actually requires, and how practitioners are building cases that hold up not just at approval but through a multi-year programme.

What you'll leave with

  • A clearer understanding of what finance and the board actually need to approve and sustain a planning investment
  • Practical approaches to building a conservative case that still gets approved
  • Peer insight into how others have managed the living business case across a multi-year programme

Who this meeting is for

This meeting is designed for people working through real operational and innovation decisions, rather than those seeking presentations or general inspiration.

Who for

  • Supply chain leaders building or preparing to defend an investment case for planning capability
  • Transformation leaders who have had a business case rejected or diluted and want to understand why
  • Directors and VPs who need to translate planning investment into language that resonates with the CFO or board

Who not for

  • Teams primarily looking for technology demonstrations or vendor comparisons
  • Anyone seeking a passive, webinar-style session rather than a peer discussion

How the online session works

Each session is designed as an online equivalent of a small, in-room roundtable discussion — not a passive, webinar-style presentation.

The format adapts to the topic and the experience in the room:

  • Where participants already have strong knowledge, we typically start by inviting individuals to expand on specific points they have shared in advance. This helps surface real-world context quickly and anchors the discussion in practical experience.
  • Where the topic is less familiar or more specialised, we may begin with a short explainer to establish a shared baseline before opening up the discussion.

To support productive dialogue, we often invite a subject-matter expert to join the session. This may be someone from a vendor, consultancy, or independent background — sometimes from within the community, sometimes external.

Their role is not to pitch or present a solution. Instead, they listen carefully to the discussion and reflect back:

  • how similar challenges have been approached in comparable organisations
  • what has worked (and what hasn’t) in practice
  • concrete examples that help translate discussion into action

This balance is deliberate. Without it, sessions can drift into abstract debate or problem-sharing. With it, discussions stay grounded and participants leave with tangible ideas they can apply in their own context.

The emphasis throughout is on shared learning, practical insight, and forward progress, rather than polished presentations or predetermined answers.

What happens next

Participation is confirmed through a short, staged process designed to ensure a good fit and a productive discussion for everyone in the room.

Step 1: Register interest

You start by entering your details. This helps us understand your background and what you are hoping to get from the session.

Step 2: We sense-check fit and composition

We may follow up to clarify a few details. This is about making sure the discussion works for everyone in the room.

Step 3: You receive a personal invitation

Once confirmed, you will receive a personal invitation with the session agenda, who else will be joining, and clear joining instructions.