How to Build a Tech ROI Model

They get requested all the time; a technology ROI model. But how do you build one, what does it tell you, and how are they relevant for technology purchases? 

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SHOW NOTES:

• How to Calculate ROI to Justify a Project (HBR)
• Guide to Calculating ROI
• Investing in New Business Tech: How to Calculate ROI 

WHY ARE MANAGERS ALWAYS ASKING FOR THE ROI?

• Businesses, and IT groups, always have more projects than they have budget
• How do they prioritize which projects to work on? Which ones to ignore?
• People higher up don’t understand tech, but they understand finance.

WHY ISN’T ROI EASIER TO CALCULATE? AND DOES ANYONE CARE LATER ON?

• ROI could be about making money, saving money, or reducing risk.
• ROI Basics: Revenues, Costs, Time
• Tech ROI is mostly a scoping activity - what are we including in the calculation?
• Tech ROI could be short-term or long-term.
• Finance Stuff: CAPEX, OPEX, Depreciation, Time-Value-of-Money, IRR, Hurdle Rate
• Good ROI vs. Bad ROI?  
• Basics: Build a “Before and After” Model
• Stuff included in ROI calculations: Expected Revenues, Expected Costs (all of them: technology, people, changes, etc.), Cost Savings/Eliminations, Productivity Improvements, Experience Improvements (Assumptions, Storytelling) 
• What if the decision-makers aren’t around when the ROI timeline ends?

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