arckit sobc

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Overview

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Command Syntax

arckit sobc "<project ID or initiative>"

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Arguments

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What It Creates

• File: projects/{NNN}-{project-name}/ARC-{PROJECT_ID}-SOBC-v1.0.md
• Document ID: ARC-{PROJECT_ID}-SOBC-v1.0
• Content: Strategic Outline Business Case with 5 cases (Strategic, Economic, Commercial, Financial, Management)

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Prerequisites

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Business Case Lifecycle

• SOBC: Strategic Outline (this command) - High-level case for change, done BEFORE detailed requirements
• OBC: Outline Business Case - After some design work, with refined costs
• FBC: Full Business Case - Detailed case with accurate costs, ready for final approval

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Green Book 5-Case Model

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A. Strategic Case

• Problem Statement: What’s broken? (from stakeholder pain points)
• Strategic Fit: How does this align with organizational strategy?
• Stakeholder Drivers: Map to stakeholder analysis
  • Link EACH driver to strategic imperative
  • Show intensity (CRITICAL/HIGH/MEDIUM)
• Scope: What’s in/out of scope (high-level)
• Dependencies: What else must happen?
• Why Now?: Urgency and opportunity cost

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B. Economic Case

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Options Analysis

• High-level costs (rough order of magnitude)
• Benefits delivered (% of stakeholder goals met)
• Risks
• Pros/cons

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Benefits Mapping

• Link EACH benefit to specific stakeholder goal
• Quantify where possible (use stakeholder outcomes for metrics)
• Categorize: FINANCIAL | OPERATIONAL | STRATEGIC | COMPLIANCE | RISK

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Cost Estimates

• Capital costs (build)
• Operational costs (run)
• 3-year TCO estimate

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Economic Appraisal

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C. Commercial Case

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Procurement Strategy

• UK Government: Digital Marketplace route (G-Cloud, DOS, Crown Hosting)
• Private Sector: Build vs Buy vs Partner

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Market Assessment

• Supplier availability
• SME opportunities (UK Gov requirement)
• Competition considerations

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Sourcing Route

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Contract Approach

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D. Financial Case

• Budget Requirement: How much needed?
• Funding Source: Where does money come from?
• Approval Thresholds: Who must approve?
  • UK Gov: HMT approval needed above £X?
  • Private: Board approval needed?
• Affordability: Can organization afford this?
• Cash Flow: When do we need money?
• Budget Constraints: Any spending controls?

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E. Management Case

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Governance

• Who owns this? (from stakeholder RACI matrix)
• Steering committee membership
• Decision authorities

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Project Approach

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Key Milestones

• Approval gates
• Major deliverables
• Go-live target

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Resource Requirements

• Team size (estimate)
• Skills needed
• External support

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Change Management

• Stakeholder engagement plan (from stakeholder analysis)
• Training needs
• Resistance mitigation (from stakeholder conflict analysis)

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Benefits Realization

• How will we measure success? (use stakeholder outcomes)
• Who monitors benefits?
• When do we expect to see benefits?

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Risk Management

• Top 5-10 strategic risks
• Mitigation strategies
• Risk owners (from stakeholder RACI)

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Real-World Examples

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Example 1: Technology Modernization

• Strategic Case: Legacy systems failing, stakeholder frustration high
• Economic Case: 3-5 options from do-nothing to complete rebuild
• Commercial Case: Cloud migration, Digital Marketplace G-Cloud
• Financial Case: £2-5M over 3 years, CFO approval needed
• Management Case: Phased migration, minimal disruption

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Example 2: New Digital Service

• Strategic Case: Citizen/customer demand, competitive pressure
• Economic Case: MVP vs full-featured comparison
• Commercial Case: Build in-house vs platform vendor
• Financial Case: £500K-2M year 1, ongoing £200K/year
• Management Case: Agile delivery, beta to live

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Example 3: Compliance/Risk Driven

• Strategic Case: Regulatory requirement, audit findings
• Economic Case: Minimum compliance vs best practice
• Commercial Case: Specialist vendors, certification needed
• Financial Case: Non-negotiable spend, insurance cost reduction
• Management Case: Deadline-driven, stakeholder compliance team owns

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UK Government Specifics

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1. Strategic Case includes

• Policy alignment (manifesto commitments, departmental objectives)
• Public value (not just efficiency, but citizen outcomes)
• Minister/Permanent Secretary drivers
• Parliamentary accountability

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2. Economic Case includes

• Social Cost Benefit Analysis (if required)
• Green Book discount rates (3.5% standard)
• Optimism bias adjustment (add contingency)
• Wider economic benefits

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3. Commercial Case includes

• Digital Marketplace assessment (G-Cloud, DOS)
• SME participation commitment
• Social value (minimum 10% weighting)
• Open source consideration

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4. Financial Case includes

• HM Treasury approval thresholds
• Spending Review settlement alignment
• Value for money assessment
• Whole-life costs

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5. Management Case includes

• Service Standard assessment plan
• GDS/CDDO engagement
• Cyber security (NCSC consultation)
• Accessibility (WCAG 2.2 AA compliance)
• Data protection (ICO/DPIA requirements)

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Traceability Example

Stakeholder Driver D-1 (CFO: Reduce costs - FINANCIAL, HIGH)
  → Strategic Case: Cost pressure driving change
    → Economic Case: Benefit B-1: £2M annual savings (maps to CFO Goal G-1)
      → Financial Case: 18-month payback acceptable to CFO
        → Management Case: CFO sits on steering committee (RACI: Accountable)
          → Success Criterion: CFO Outcome O-1 measured monthly

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Command Handoffs

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Define Detailed Requirements

arckit requirements

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Create Strategic Roadmap

arckit roadmap

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Interactive Configuration

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Question 1: Options Count

“How many strategic options should be evaluated in the Economic Case?”

• 4 options (Recommended): Do Nothing + Minimal + Balanced + Comprehensive
• 3 options: Do Nothing + two alternatives
• 5 options: Do Nothing + four alternatives

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Question 2: Appraisal Depth

“What level of economic appraisal should be applied?”

• Strategic estimates (Recommended): ROM costs and qualitative benefits
• Semi-quantitative: ROM costs with quantified key benefits and basic NPV
• Full quantitative: Detailed costs, NPV, BCR, sensitivity analysis

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Important Notes

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Key Concepts

• SOBC is strategic, not detailed: High-level estimates and qualitative benefits appropriate
• Every benefit traces to a stakeholder goal: Ensures business case is grounded in real needs
• Options appraisal is critical: Must evaluate multiple options, not just one preferred solution
• Recommended option must be justified: Reference stakeholder goals met, not just cost
• This enables OBC/FBC: After requirements and design, create refined business cases

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Related Guides

• Green Book 5-Case Model
• Business Case Development
• Options Appraisal
• Rainbow of Books