This Data and Service Business Case Canvas is for people designing data-enabled public services. It aims to help you make a business case for a project or service that uses data.
- This tool is part of the ODI’s wider Data and Public Services Toolkit.
The Data and Service Business Case Canvas:
- helps to articulate why to use data in a service, and understand how using specific data helps meet organisational aims and user needs.
- promotes constructive debate around project objectives, intention and potential impact.
- raises issues and considerations that help inform better products and services, and grow the positive impact of your work.
- encourages using and publishing open data – which other services can reuse – contributing to the wider data ecosystem and infrastructure, innovation and cost savings.
- helps you to consider the impact data activities have on people and society, and steps to mitigate any harmful impacts.
- is a flexible tool, designed to tease out potential opportunities, and can sit alongside more formal business case guidelines.
Download the Data and Public Services Business Case Canvas
'Data and Public Services Business Case Canvas' (PDF). Download here.
View the 'Data and Public Services Business Case Canvas'. This is a PDF of the hard-copy version.
If you'd like some hard-copy versions for your organisation, please contact us to discuss how we can work together, or to organise some training.
German-language version (Deutsche): 'Data and Public Services Business Case Canvas' (PDF).
View the German-language (Deutsche) 'Data and Public Services Business Case Canvas'. This is a PDF of the hard-copy version.
If you'd like some hard-copy versions for your organisation, please contact us to discuss how we can work together, or to organise some training.
A3 print-at-home 'Data and Public Services Business Case Canvas' (PDF). Download here.
View the print-at-home A3 version of the 'Data and Public Services Business Case Canvas'. This is a simple black-and-white version of the canvas for home/office printing.
If you'd like some hard-copy versions for your organisation, please contact us to discuss how we can work together, or to organise some training.
A4 print-at-home 'Data and Public Services Business Case Canvas' (PDF). Download here.
View the print-at-home A4 version of the 'Data and Public Services Business Case Canvas'. This is a simple black-and-white version of the canvas for home/office printing.
If you'd like some hard-copy versions for your organisation, please contact us to discuss how we can work together, or to organise some training.
German-language (Deutsche) A4 print-at-home 'Data and Public Services Business Case Canvas' (PDF). Download here.
View the German-language (Deutsche), print-at-home A4 version of the 'Data and Public Services Business Case Canvas'. This is a simple black-and-white version of the canvas for home/office printing.
If you'd like some hard-copy versions for your organisation, please contact us to discuss how we can work together, or to organise some training.
French-language (français), A4 print-at-home 'Data and Public Services Business Case Canvas' (PDF). Download here.
View the French-language (français), print-at-home A4 version of the 'Data and Public Services Business Case Canvas'. This is a simple black-and-white version of the canvas for home/office printing.
If you'd like some hard-copy versions for your organisation, please contact us to discuss how we can work together, or to organise some training.
How are data and services related?
Data that is made open, or shared, presents huge opportunities for the public sector to enable innovative services. For example, the datasets that Transport for London has made open – openly licensed for anyone to access, use, and share – have been used by innovators to create journey-mapping apps to help people navigate the city.
Why use this tool?
Scope your project
The canvas helps to articulate why to use data in a service, and understand how using specific data helps meet organisational aims and user needs. It also promotes constructive debate around project objectives, intention and potential impact.
Create broader change
The canvas raises issues and considerations that help inform better products and services, and grow the positive impact of your work. It encourages using and publishing open data – which other services can reuse – contributing to the wider data ecosystem and infrastructure, innovation and cost savings. It also helps you to consider the impact data activities have on people and society, and steps to mitigate any harmful impacts.
Complement other business case guidelines
The canvas is a flexible tool, designed to tease out potential opportunities, and can sit alongside more formal business case guidelines.