Valuable workers are ones who solve problems that are important to the business. If you want the opportunity to solve important problems, you need to be able to pitch your solutions in a way that convinces others to get on board. To do that, you need to develop a Business Case. Essentially, it's a sales pitch for your solution.

Here are 6 key questions your Business Case need to address:

1) What problem are you trying to solve?

Don't assume everyone else recognizes the problem you see. Describe it as clearly as you can for them.

2) How does solving this problem help our business?

Your answer will demonstrate how well you understand the workings of your business. The more specific, the better. "We'll increase our applications by 20%" is better than "We'll get more students."

3) What happens if we do nothing?

Doing nothing is the default solution. Your proposal needs to be significantly better than doing nothing. In other words, you need to show that the negative consequences of doing nothing are too painful for the business.

4) What other alternatives did you consider? What makes your solution better than these alternatives?

Show that you're proposing the best solution and not just your favorite. Aim for 1-3 alternatives. Clearly describe the pros and cons of each so that others can see how your solution wins out.

5) What resources will you need? How soon will you need them?

Describe not just the money you need, but also how much time you need from which people. Also describe when you need all of this. Decision-makers need to be able to evaluate your request for resources against the others they're receiving.

6) What is the return on investment? When will we see it?

State all benefits as clearly as possible. Sometimes benefits aren't monetary. However, you'll have a much better case if you can show how your solution at least breaks even and doesn't cost the business more money. Also, your solution is more likely to be considered if you can start seeing benefits sooner.