A wonderful team of engineers from an energy company recently told me they had done something risky and that it worked.

They ditched their corporate template​​ when preparing their business case and got a ‘fast yes'.

Instead, they focused on the decision they needed at the get-go and used that to craft a one-pager before structuring their presentation.

Here's what they did:

1. Used the template to collect the data, but not to tell the story
2. Sketched out the basic story structure at the get go
3. Worked with the team to flesh out the details as a one-pager
4. Allocated the story sections across the team to write them up
5. Presented and landed an immediate ‘yes' from leadership

Not only that, but none of the decision-makers complained about the lack of the template. Here's how it played out in more detail.

1. The team used the template to collect the data, but not to tell the story

In the past they had thought they had no option but to fill in the sections within the business case template even though they hated it.

It was frustrating to use as it caused them to repeat themselves while also including all sorts of irrelevant information.​

Here is what the team leader said:

“Because we agreed on the messaging at the outset, 6 of us could work on the business case at once.

“Everyone knew their part and how that fitted in to the overarching messaging.

“We had two years of supporting information that we were able to quickly sort through and synthesise.

We ended up writing and getting it approved within 2 weeks, which was an amazing outcome.”

Charles, team leader

​The template was typical: it included a long list of ‘pots to throw ideas into', or topics to cover. You will be familiar with the sort of thing. It's useful for collecting ‘data' and making sure the team has thought of everything during their analytical process.

Benefits management plan

Risks (3 types)

Change assessment (many types)

Next steps

Recommendation (at the very end …)

The template design created extra tension for them as they were caught between ‘filling it in' and a leadership team that wanted them to keep it short.

So, the team decided to do something different.

Here's what they did instead.

2. Charles plus one other sketched out the basic story structure at the get go

Charles sat down with one other senior team member who was also advanced in their use of our techniques to think through the high-level messaging.

They went back to first principles to think about what they needed to achieve and where their audience's ‘heads were at'. They then focused their messaging to achieve that objective.

Although they then discussed some ideas around the messaging, they didn't fill in the structure. They just made a call as to which of my pattern (from my book, Engage) suited their situation the best.

They. chose ‘Make the Case' which is my go-to for a business case like this.

3. Charles worked with the team to flesh out the one-pager

Charles then gathered the team to discuss preparing the presentation.

Together they filled in the details for each of the four story sections, debating, editing and iterating on the one-pager. this helped them be both comprehensive and avoid rabbit holes.

4. The team allocated the sections across to write them up

Four people took away one section each to write it up, which turned out to be fast and easy to do. Why? Because they all

• Had a clear view of the overall story
• Understood how their piece related to the whole, and so avoided overlapping with what their colleagues were to contribute
• Were confident in the messages they needed to convey within their own area
• Were able to tell the story in a logical, cohesive way that enabled them to support their single point of view without feeling as though they need to discuss topics that were not relevant to their story

5. Charles presented and landed an immediate ‘yes' from leadership

The team also received a series of compliments from the leadership. Here are just two:

“I didn't even need to read the whole thing.

“The thinking was so clear and transparent at the top, I knew I could trust what you were saying.”

–Leader #1

“This was super easy to read”

–Leader #2

Interestingly, none of  the leaders complained that they had deviated from the corporate template.

The team was also pleased that the story flowed with what they felt was a ‘unified voice' even though different people had crafted different sections.

So, there you have it.

A great real-life example of where a business team thinks from first principles about ‘getting things done' rather than following procedure because it's the norm.

This article was prepared by Davina Stanley, founder of The Clarity First Program and author of The So What Strategy, Elevate and Engage.

Davina has helped executives clarify and convey complex ideas for almost 30 years. 

She began this work as a communication specialist at McKinsey & Company and has since helped leaders of all kinds strengthen their communication skills.