Chapter 11

Account for Risks

After you’ve run the ROI, you still have some number crunching left to do. None of the ROI techniques will account for risks, so it’s a separate step to identify them and consider what impact they’ll have on your final figures.

Gut-Check the Numbers

If you’re looking at a low ROI and thinking, “Wait—I thought this was going to be a great project,” question your numbers. Could you have underestimated revenue? Or overestimated transition costs? Or entered a wrong figure? (As you’d imagine, leaving off a zero makes a big difference.) Scrutinize each line item and ask whether the number—or the timing—could be off.

You may need to go back to your subject-matter experts and ask them to double-check their estimates. For ...

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