In short
- Write for the internal decision, not for another supplier presentation.
- Put the do-nothing option beside the proposed purchase.
- Separate measured facts, estimates and unverified assumptions.
- Give every open claim an owner and a next proof step.
What decision is this page supposed to support?
Start at the top with one sentence: “We are deciding whether to…” Then name the owner, the deadline or trigger, and what will happen if the decision is deferred. If you cannot name the decision, the page will become a collection of product claims.
APM defines a business case through benefits, costs, risks and alternatives. It also makes the sponsor responsible for the business case. That is a useful boundary for a supplier: you can provide evidence and a draft, but the buyer must be able to challenge and own the argument.
A champion could forward a deck to finance. Finance does not need to see the product tour again. They need to find the proposed decision, the cost basis and the unresolved risk. Write the first page for that reading, then put the product detail behind it.
What is happening now, and what is it costing?
Describe the current work in terms the people inside the account recognise. Put a measured baseline where one exists. If the cost has not been measured, show the activity and the calculation still needed. Do not fill a blank with an industry average and then present it as this buyer’s result.
The current option is an option. It may have hidden cost or risk, but it may also be good enough for now. Put “continue as we are” beside the purchase and explain what would have to change for either route to win.
Which five parts fit on a single page?
Keep the page as a discussion aid. Each section below should take a few lines. Put detailed product specifications, the full financial model and legal terms behind it so a reviewer can inspect them without losing the thread.
Scroll the table sideways to see every column.
| Part | Write down | Check before sharing |
|---|---|---|
| Decision | The proposed choice, owner and timing | Does this match the internal approval question? |
| Current state | Work, cost or risk that prompts a change | Which facts are measured? |
| Options | Proposed route, credible alternatives and doing nothing | Have we described the alternatives fairly? |
| Expected change | How the proposed change works, its benefits and full cost categories | What is site-specific or estimated? |
| Proof and next step | Main risks, source documents and approval gate | Who will verify each open claim? |
How do you keep the claims defensible?
Tag each important number or statement as measured, modelled or unknown. For a modelled benefit, keep the calculation and inputs beside the page. For a technical promise, link to the test condition. Put the owner and date of the next proof step next to open assumptions. The goal is a page somebody can question productively.
How should a champion use it in the internal meeting?
Let the champion rewrite the opening sentence and reject anything that would sound like supplier copy in their own meeting. Give them an editable file, not only a PDF. Ask what question a colleague is likely to raise and which source they would need to answer it. If the page cannot survive that question, the next task is evidence gathering.
Gartner reported that 74% of buyer teams in its August and September 2024 survey showed what it called “unhealthy conflict” during the decision process. That finding does not prove a template will produce agreement. It does underline why different roles need to be able to inspect the same decision and evidence.
When is a one-page business model the wrong document?
A one-page business model explains how a company creates and captures value. Use it to understand the business or align a team around it. For a specific purchase or project approval, write a business case: what changes, what it costs, what could go wrong and why this option is preferable to the alternatives.
The forwarding test. If your champion sends the page to finance without you, can finance find the decision, the cost basis and the open assumptions in a minute? Ask that before you add another product screenshot.
When the buyer’s main difficulty is carrying your explanation between people, see Strategem’s approach to champion enablement. If they also need materials around the decision summary, see what belongs in a champion enablement kit.