ROI Case Study Guidelines - How to Prepare a Case Study for Publication - ROI Institute

ROI Institute,

 ROI Case Study
 Guidelines
 How to Prepare a Case Study for Publication

                                                                                                         Phone      205-678-8101
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                                                                                                         Email      hope@roiinstitute.net
                                                                                                         Web        www.roiinstitute.net

© 2021 ROI Institute, Inc.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form without the permission of ROI Institute.

ROI Institute, Inc.

                                  CASE STUDIES ARE NEEDED

Thank you for your interest in submitting a case study for review. The interest in accountability,
including measuring the return on investment (ROI), is at an all-time high. ROI is now a tool for
all types of organizations to measure the ultimate payoff of programs, processes, and initiatives.
From corporations to nonprofit organizations, all levels of government, healthcare institutions
and higher education, ROI is becoming part of the common language of accountability.

The ROI Methodology captures six types of data to show the success of programs:

    •   Reaction and planned actions
    •   Acquisition of knowledge and skills, as well as changes in perceptions and attitudes
    •   Success with application and implementation
    •   Actual business impact measured in cost savings, productivity improvements, and time
        reductions
    •   The return on investment, showing the monetary benefits versus costs
    •   Intangible benefits, such as employee satisfaction and teamwork

Case studies representing the most current examples of ROI application are needed for new
casebook publications. The selected studies will not only show success with the six types of
measures above, but will also include:

    •   Techniques used to isolate the effects of the program
    •   Techniques used to convert data to monetary values
    •   Strategies used to communicate results

Case studies are sought from a range of industries, functions, organizations, and professions.
International cases studies are also desired. The studies will be selected based on:

    •   The variety of programs where the Methodology is applied
    •   The types of organizations represented by proposed case studies
    •   The techniques used to collect and analyze data
    •   Use of the Twelve Guiding Principles as described in Table 1

Ideally, each case study will contain the information outlined in the following guidelines and
be submitted in the format described Please use the Template for Content and Formatting as
a model.

                                   MANUSCRIPT GUIDELINES
Submit your case study as a Microsoft Word document, using 12 pt. font for all headings and
text. Double-space the content and include page numbers at the bottom of each page.
If you have any questions when preparing your manuscript for submission, feel free to contact
Hope Nicholas, Director of Publications, ROI Institute (hope@roiinstitute.net).

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ROI Institute, Inc.

Tables and charts
Tables and charts containing words and simple straight lines can be included within the text of
the main case study document

Graphs, illustrations, technical drawings with simple graphic elements such as shapes or
arrows, all in black or varying shades of gray, will need to be submitted as separate documents,
preferably formatted in Microsoft Word or Excel.

When preparing your study, please indicate where each illustration/graph/chart belongs in the
study text. You can do this most easily by typing a note directly on the manuscript, such as
[Figure 1 goes here], and labeling your graph or illustration as "Figure 1" at the top of the
document.

You may also include notes to the production team in the manuscript to help explain how you
prefer your content to appear. Notes containing production instructions should appear within
brackets, for example, [Begin Text Box Here] or [End Text Box Here].

Permissions
Permission is required to reproduce any illustration that you did not create. Copyright law
covers almost all visual creations, whether there is any credit or copyright notice. There are
some exceptions, and we can provide you with more details, if needed. Keep in mind, if you do
not know who created the illustration, it often means that you cannot use it.

                         TEMPLATE FOR CONTENT AND FORMATTING
The following pages provide a template for the formatting and general content required for
your case study submission.

                      TITLE OF CASE STUDY (all caps, centered, bold)

                                  Company (centered, bold)

                             Author(s) of Case Study (centered)

                                    Disclaimer (centered, italics)

                      Use this disclaimer if the actual company name is used:

  This case was prepared to serve as a basis for discussion rather than an illustration of either

  effective or ineffective administrative and management practices. Names, dates, places, and

           data may have been disguised at the request of the author or organization.

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ROI Institute, Inc.

                      Use this disclaimer if the company name has been changed:

  This case was prepared to serve as a basis for discussion rather than an illustration of either

effective or ineffective administrative and management practices. All names, dates, places, and

          data may have been disguised at the request of the author or organization.

ABSTRACT (Level 1 heading. All caps, bold, flush left)

Every case study should include an abstract consisting of approximately 100 words. The

abstract should be a synopsis of the case, identifying key issues and findings.

PROGRAM BACKGROUND (Level 1 heading)

Please provide a brief background of the company. Describe the purpose of the

program, the program objectives, and purpose of the evaluation. Also explain why this

program was evaluated at the ROI level.

Any Level 2 subheadings should be Bold, Title Case, Flush Left

Any Level 3 subheadings should be bold, italic, sentence case, flush left

EVALUATION METHODOLOGY (Level 1 heading)

Briefly describe the methodology used to evaluate the program. The evaluation

approach should follow the 12 Guiding Principles as shown in Table 1. Data collection

and data analysis will be described in detail, including techniques to isolate the effects

of the program and the techniques used to convert data to monetary value.

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ROI Institute, Inc.

       Table 1. Twelve Guiding Principles

       1. When a higher level evaluation is conducted, data must be collected at lower levels.
       2. When an evaluation is planned for a higher level, the previous level of evaluation
           does not have to be comprehensive.
       3. When collecting and analyzing data, use only the most credible sources.
       4. When analyzing data, select the most conservative alternative for calculations.
       5. At least one method must be used to isolate the effects of the solution/program.
       6. If no improvement data are available for a population or from a specific source, the
           assumption is that little or no improvement has occurred.
       7. Estimates of improvements should be adjusted for the potential error of the
           estimate.
       8. Extreme data items and unsupported claims should not be used in ROI calculations.
       9. Only the first year of benefits (annual) should be used in the ROI analysis of short-
           term solutions.
       10. Costs of a solution, project, or program should be fully loaded for ROI analysis.
       11. Intangible measures are defined as measures that are purposely not converted to
           monetary values.
       12. The results from the ROI Methodology must be communicated to all key
           stakeholders.

The following headings below are arranged following the ROI Methodology 12-step process. If you
don’t have a good answer for some questions, that is okay; or if it represents an issue that wasn’t
addressed, that is okay as well. Please provide as much detail as possible to show the value in a
very credible way.
Step 1—Start with Why: Align Program with the Business (Level 2 heading)

   •    What was the reason for conducting this program?
   •    Please mention specific reasons for implementing the program.

Step 2—Make it Feasible: Select the Right Solution (Level 2 heading)

   •    What steps, if any, were taken to make sure that the program was the proper solution to
        improve the particular business measure?

Step 3—Expect Success: Design for Results (Level 2 heading)

   •    What specific objectives were developed?
   •    Can you provide a list of objectives for each level?

Step 4—Make it Matter: Design for Input, Reaction, and Learning (Level 2 heading)

   •    What specific reactions did the participants have about the program.

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•   What did the participants actually learn as a result of the program? Be as precise as
       possible.

Step 5—Make it Stick: Design for Application and Impact (Level 2 heading)

   •   What data do you have about the participants’ use of the knowledge or skills learned
       through the program?
   •   What specific impacts were connected to this program?

Step 6—Make it Credible: Isolate the Effects of the Program (Level 2 heading)

   •   What steps were taken to isolate the effects of the program from other influences? Please
       identify all factors or other programs may have been implemented at the same time that
       might have influenced this particular measure or group of measures.

Step 7—Make It Credible: Convert Data to Monetary Value (Level 2 heading)

   •   Provide detail about how the data were converted to monetary values and how those
       values were calculated. For example, were accepted standard values used in the
       calculation?
   •   If there are other measures, how were they converted to money?

Step 8—Make It Credible: Capture Costs of the Program (Level 2 heading)

   •   What costs are included, both indirect and direct categories?
   •   Please be sure to include all costs in table form.

Step 9—Make it Credible: Calculate the Return on Investment (Level 2 heading)

   •   Provide the benefit and cost data
   •   Include the actual ROI Calculation

Step 10—Make It Credible: Identify Intangible Measures (Level 2 heading)

   •   What intangible measures are connected to this program?
   •   How do you know they are connected?

Step 11—Tell the Story: Communicate Results to Key Stakeholders (Level 2 heading)

   •   Were the results of this program communicated to others?
   •   If so, who was the audience, how were the results communicated, and what was the
       purpose of this communication?

Step 12—Optimize Results: Use Black Box Thinking to Increase Funding (Level 2 heading)

   •   Did you use this data to obtain more support and even more funding for the program?

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ROI Institute, Inc.

LESSONS LEARNED (Level 1 heading)

Describe the lessons learned through the application of the evaluation process. What

would you have done differently?

RESOURCES (Level 1 heading)

Authors are required to cite sources contributing to their successful ROI application.

Sources should be cited following this example:

   Author last name, first initial, Name of Publication, (Place of Publication, Publisher,

Date of Publication).

   Phillips, J.J., and Phillips, P.P., The Value of Innovation: Knowing, Proving, and

Showing the Value of Innovation and Creativity, (Hoboken, NJ, Wiley-Scrivener, 2018)

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION (Level 1 heading)

We ask that five discussion questions be included at the end of your case. These

questions will stimulate thought and discussion among others who use your case to

build their knowledge.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR (Level 1 heading)

Please include a brief biographical paragraph about each author or coauthor. Bios

should be no more than 100 words and will include contact information.

               Submit case studies via e-mail (hope@roiinstitute.net)
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