Here’s what separates business cases that get approved from those that stall in committee: a credible plan to prove you’ll deliver what you’re promising.
You can project 15% labor productivity gains and improved order accuracy all day long. But when you’re asking for a six or seven-figure investment, stakeholders have one question on their minds: How will we know if this actually works?
To see how Gartner® research can be applied to build a credible, approval ready WMS business case, join our upcoming webinar: Use Gartner® Research to Build an Ironclad WMS Business Case, Tuesday, February 17 at 12 PM ET.
The Roadmap Is Part of the Business Case, Not an Afterthought
This is where many WMS business cases fall short. They focus entirely on justifying the investment upfront but provide no concrete plan for measuring success afterward. That’s a red flag for savvy stakeholders.
Including a detailed post-go-live measurement roadmap in your business case does something powerful: it demonstrates accountability before a single dollar is approved.
When stakeholders see that you’ve thought through:
- Exactly which KPIs will be tracked
- How baselines will be established before implementation
- When progress will be reviewed and with whom
- What actions will be taken if targets aren’t met
They’re looking at a team that’s serious about delivering results, not just selling a project.
Why This Builds Confidence and Drives Buy-In
A milestone-based measurement roadmap addresses the core concerns that make executives hesitant:
It proves you’re accountable. You’re not asking for millions and then disappearing. You’re committing to regular performance reviews against specific targets. That changes the conversation from “Should we trust them?” to “This team has clearly thought this through.”
It aligns the investment with business objectives. When your measurement roadmap ties directly back to strategic goals, whether that’s cost reduction, customer service improvement, or scalability, stakeholders can see the clear line from investment to business impact.
It provides transparency. Leadership knows exactly when they’ll see results, what success looks like, and how progress will be reported. No surprises. No ambiguity.
It demonstrates project maturity. Organizations that include measurement roadmaps in their business cases signal they’ve done this before, or at least they’ve learned from others who have. That’s reassuring when you’re committing to a multi-year transformation.
It enables informed decision-making. Your roadmap becomes a reference point for future technology investments. Stakeholders appreciate knowing this won’t be a black hole. There will be data to guide the next decision.
From Metrics to Meaningful KPIs That Stakeholders Care About
Here’s where the roadmap gets real. You need to be specific about what you’ll measure and why it matters to the business.
Stakeholders don’t want to hear “we’ll track some warehouse metrics.” They want to see a focused set of KPIs that directly validate your business case claims:
- Labor productivity (units picked per hour, lines per labor hour) – if you justified the investment on labor savings
- Order accuracy – if you promised reduced errors and customer service improvements
- Inventory accuracy – if you claimed better working capital management
- Order cycle time – if faster fulfillment was part of your value proposition
- Cost per order – the financial metric that translates everything back to dollars
The golden rule for stakeholder buy-in: Your KPIs must map directly to the benefits you’re claiming. If you justified the WMS on three major benefits, you should have 5-7 KPIs that prove those specific benefits. This alignment shows stakeholders you’ll be measuring what matters, not just what’s easy.
Five Elements Stakeholders Expect in Your Measurement Roadmap
When presenting your business case, include these components to maximize confidence:
- Pre-implementation baselines: Show you’ll capture current-state performance before go-live. This isn’t optional, stakeholders need to know the starting point. Include in your business case exactly when baselines will be measured (typically 60-90 days before go-live) and who will be responsible.
- A core, consistent KPI set: Define your 5-7 critical KPIs in the business case itself. Don’t leave this vague. Specify exactly what will be measured, how it will be calculated, and what the target improvement is. Precision builds credibility.
- A formalized review cadence: Commit to a specific schedule: monthly operational reviews, quarterly business reviews with leadership during year one. Put names and dates in your roadmap. When stakeholders see “CFO review every quarter for 18 months,” they know you’re serious about accountability.
- Variance response protocols: This is what separates great business cases from mediocre ones. Explicitly state what happens if KPIs fall short. Will you engage the vendor? Provide additional training? Adjust processes? Showing you’ve anticipated problems demonstrates maturity that stakeholders appreciate.
- Financial translation: Every operational KPI should connect to financial impact. Include a simple table in your business case showing how each KPI improvement translates to cost savings or revenue impact. When stakeholders can see “15% productivity gain = $400K annual savings,” buy-in becomes much easier.
Setting Realistic Expectations Builds Trust
Here’s something else that strengthens stakeholder confidence: realistic timelines.
Be upfront in your business case that most WMS implementations take 3-6 months post-go-live to stabilize. You won’t hit target KPIs immediately. People are learning, processes are being refined, and there will be bugs.
But show stakeholders the trajectory:
- Months 1 to 3: Hypercare Phase
- Confident rollout with hands on support and stabilization
- Months 3 to 6: Optimization Phase
- Fine tuning processes and strengthening adoption
- Months 6 to 12: Efficiency Phase
- Accelerating productivity and operational performance
- Months 12 to 24: Payback Period
- Capturing ROI through sustained gains and growth
This honesty builds far more credibility than promising immediate results you can’t deliver. Stakeholders have seen enough failed implementations to appreciate realistic projections.
When ROI Doesn’t Materialize—And Why Your Roadmap Protects You
Include a section in your business case about risk mitigation. If you’re 12 months in and KPIs aren’t trending right, here’s what you’ll investigate:
User adoption issues: People aren’t using the system as designed.
Response: Training, change management, workflow simplification.
Process problems: The WMS is fine, but underlying processes weren’t optimized first.
Response: Process redesign with vendor support.
System configuration gaps: The WMS isn’t configured or performing correctly.
Response: Vendor engagement to tune or correct defects.
Showing stakeholders you’ve thought through potential failure modes and have response plans demonstrates the kind of project leadership that earns buy-in.
The Bottom Line: Measurement Is Your Competitive Advantage
When competing for budget and executive attention, the business case that includes a robust post-implementation measurement roadmap wins.
Why? Because it transforms the conversation from “Trust us, this will work” to “Here’s exactly how we’ll prove this works and here’s what we’ll do if it doesn’t.”
That level of accountability and transparency is what separates projects that get enthusiastic approval from those that get conditional funding or endless questions.
Your measurement roadmap isn’t just about tracking results after go-live, it’s about earning stakeholder confidence before approval. Include it in your business case from day one, and you’ll find stakeholders become advocates rather than gatekeepers.
Turn Insight Into Action
If you are preparing, defending, or refining a WMS business case, Our upcoming session will show you how to use Gartner® research to strengthen stakeholder confidence and accelerate approval.
Tuesday, February 17 | 12 pm ET
Webinar: Use Gartner® Research to Build an Ironclad WMS Business Case
Disclaimer:
Gartner, Create a Strong Business Case for a Warehouse Management System Investment, Federica Stufano, Rishabh Narang and Simon Tunstall, June 4, 2025.
GARTNER is a registered trademark and service mark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and internationally, and MAGIC QUADRANT is a registered trademark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates and are used herein with permission. All rights reserved.
Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner’s research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.
