Why separating story from spreadsheets transforms your approval odds as discussed on The Meg & Amy Show

Getting a business case approved by the board isn't just about having the right numbers—it's about telling the right story. And according to Jen Morrow, SVP of Strategy, Transformation and People at PlanSource, most executives get this backwards.

In our recent conversation on The Meg and Amy Show, Jen revealed her counterintuitive approach to building board-ready business cases that has helped PlanSource increase bookings by over 100% and dramatically improve both employee engagement and customer satisfaction. Her secret? Separating the financial case from the strategic story—and leading with the latter.

"I actually work very hard early in a business case process to separate the financial business case from the story," Jen explains. "If you get too lost in the knee-deep financials, you lose track of the story. Almost 100% of the time I've seen it happen, your business case ends up failing because you haven't pushed the business case to be what it needs to be in order to deliver on the story."

This insight challenges conventional wisdom. Most executives dive straight into ROI calculations, cost savings projections, and revenue forecasts. But Jen's approach flips the script entirely.

The Traditional Approach:

Jen's Approach:

Key insight: when you lead with financials, you paralyze both strategy and execution because most stakeholders can't translate spreadsheets into actionable work.

Jen's business cases follow a classic narrative arc that executives tend to skip: beginning, middle, and end. "When you're deep in the weeds of something, you tend to skip to the end. People skip over the beginning and the middle," she explains. But these first two parts are critical for creating stakeholder alignment.

Beginning: The Problem Statement "The beginning is the problem statement, the context," Jen explains. This isn't just about identifying what's broken—it's about creating a shared understanding of why action is necessary and why it's necessary now.

Middle: Your Options "The middle is your options for approaching the problem." This is where many business cases get trapped in endless analysis. Jen's framework forces teams to clearly articulate the alternatives they've considered and why they've chosen their recommended path.

End: Action and Path Forward "The end is your path forward." But here's the key: the action plan must be grounded in the problem statement and options analysis that came before.

Perhaps most importantly, Jen treats business case development as a collaborative exercise, not a solo performance. Her process involves extensive stakeholder engagement before the formal presentation.

"I have zero ownership over the first 10 iterations of something I present," she shares. "I actually get nervous if I'm doing this and telling the story and people agree with version number one. Because if they agree with version number one, I'm like, crap, we're still not talking the same language."

Jen's Stakeholder Engagement Process:

Jen's framework becomes especially powerful when dealing with emerging technologies like AI, where traditional financial modeling breaks down.

"AI is like the biggest example of that because if you get spun up on an AI business case right now, specifically an efficiency one, and you approach it only from a financial perspective and not the story perspective, you're not going to move fast enough."

For services-enabled software businesses like PlanSource, AI efficiency gains aren't about traditional cost cutting—they're about scaling for growth. "When we're driving efficiencies, it is literally about being able to scale the business for growth versus true cost cutting."

This distinction completely changes the business case narrative:

The second narrative is far more compelling to boards focused on growth, and it avoids the double-counting trap that many AI business cases fall into.

One of the most valuable parts of our conversation focused on what happens when a business case gets rejected—a scenario Jen believes most people fail to prepare for mentally.

"Don't cry in the meeting," she advises with characteristic directness. "If you're in the actual board meeting and the no is coming, you’ve just got to accept that. The best use of your time is to ask why and ask questions and to really listen."

Jen categorizes rejections into two types:

As Meg pointed out, "This is the moment where your career is built because the way people around the board table see you in moments of disappointment really informs how they trust you in the future."

Jen's Rejection Response Framework:

Perhaps what sets Jen apart most is her obsession with execution. Having an accounting background and CPA credentials, she brings both storytelling ability and financial rigor to her business cases.

"I'm very passionate about making sure that when I'm putting something on paper - when we're getting something approved by the board - that we're actually going to deliver on it," she explains. "We can't ask for more until we do what we just already said we'd do."

This accountability mindset shapes how she builds business cases from the beginning. Every commitment made to the board becomes a personal reputation risk.

"I will throw my personal reputation up there and be like, guys, I personally can't do this unless you show me otherwise. Having that personal tie to make sure that you have the trust of your board, your leadership team, and your entire organization."

Based on Jen's framework and our discussion, here are the essential elements of a board-ready business case:

1. Start with Story, Not Spreadsheets Develop your strategic narrative before diving into detailed financial modeling. Work with finance in parallel, but lead stakeholder conversations with the story.

2. Follow the Three-Part Structure Every business case needs a beginning (problem statement), middle (options analysis), and end (action plan). Don't skip to the end.

3. Embrace Iterative Development Plan for 10+ iterations. Use early drafts to surface disagreements and align language, not to get approval.

4. Socialize Before You Present One-on-one conversations are more valuable than group presentations for building alignment.

5. Prepare for Rejection Have a mental framework for handling "no" with curiosity and professionalism. Your reaction to rejection builds or destroys future credibility.

6. Commit to Execution Only make commitments you can deliver. Your track record of execution determines your future ability to get business cases approved.

As we wrapped up our conversation, it was clear that Jen's approach to business cases is really about something bigger: building the trust and alignment necessary to drive organizational transformation. In an era where strategic decisions must be made with imperfect information and increasing speed, her framework provides a way to move forward together—even when the path isn't perfectly clear.

The next time you're building a business case, remember Jen's core insight: people need to understand the story before they can believe in the numbers. Start there, and you'll dramatically increase your chances of not just getting approval, but actually delivering on your commitments.

Prepared by Amy Wilson, former tech executive and current product strategy advisor. For more insights on leadership and the future of work, subscribe to The Meg and Amy Show.