Cost Justification

I am working on a team for my company to evaluate, select and deploy a database system. Part of the selection process obviously includes generating a technical specification identifying our needs and wants as well as planning the development and deploying the system. Before I can get into the execution, I need to get the appropriate approvals. But before I can get the approvals, I need to cost justify the investment. Many of the benefits are intangible and will be difficult to quantify to my management. However there are other more tangible aspects of the justification I have some ideas about, but need to think them through. Now the question. Does anyone have any experience about how they wrote a justification (including financial paybacks) for a database system? What would be of help, if the information isn't proprietary, is to share how the figures where assembled and what the basis was for the justification. While I find it hard to believe there will be a direct payback due to efficiency gains(an assumption), I'm sure the less tangible aspects will more than justify the deployment. It would be nice to be able to characterize them financially just the same.

Any help or ideas, particularly those war stories would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Ed M
ed_m_at_ix.netcom.com Received on Thu May 30 1996 - 00:00:00 CEST