Identify Costs

 

1. Apply the process from Writing a Cost-Benefit Analysis article, linked in the Cost-Benefit Analysis Approach section of this assessment, to identify costs:

 

2. Make a list of all monetary costs that will be incurred upon implementation and throughout the life of the project. These include start-up fees, licenses, production materials, payroll expenses, user acceptance processes, training, and travel expenses, among others.

 

3. Make a list of all non-monetary costs that are likely to be absorbed. These include time, low production of other tasks, imperfect processes, potential risks, market saturation or penetration uncertainties, and influences on one’s reputation.

 

4. Assign monetary values to the costs identified in steps one and two. To ensure equality across time, monetary values are stated in present value terms. If realistic cost values cannot be readily evaluated, consult with market trends and industry surveys for comparable implementation costs in similar businesses.

 

5. Add all anticipated costs together to get a total costs value (Plowman, 2014).