The small, roughly 100-page book is tightly packed with information laid out in text book fashion which might easily supplement a full business textbook for upper lever college economic courses. It opens with an easy-enough explanation of what a business case is. Schmidt smartly likens it to a court case, which sounds provocative to readers when you imagine the kind of courtroom presentations seen on shows like Law & Order, or Boston Legal. You are essentially saddled with the burden of proof in demonstrating the short-term and long-term outcomes of your proposal, as well as putting the company’s current methods on trial. In doing so, Schmidt lends constant focus on accuracy, using a fictional company called Aerofirma Aerospace Assemblies to exemplify his methods.

Although is easy to grip in the beginning, it’ll quickly leave you behind if you’re not careful as the information stacks up by the second chapter. This is not a read-through book, but an advanced text book for serious readers committed to learning the material. That said, the information presented is absolutely invaluable to anyone willing to put in the time to learn it. The author outlines what should go into each section of the business case, and how to present the information. He dedicates brief lessons to hearty subjects like Financial Metrics, Cash Flow Statements, Cost Models, as they pertain to business cases but these sections are brief, and a larger understanding will be required for how to obtain numbers, how to calculate probability, and so on. This is why I describe “Business Case Essentials” as an upper-level business text. Thankfully, Schmidt provides adequate footnotes about further reading for less experienced students.