Business Case Overview

Published Categorized as Project Management Templates Tagged , ,

A business case captures the reasoning for initiating a project or task. It is often presented in a well-structured written document, but may also sometimes come in the form of a short verbal argument or presentation. Similarly the business case template should have the same characteristics.

The logic of the business case is that, whenever resources such as money or effort are consumed, they should be in support of a specific business need. An example could be that a software upgrade might improve system performance, but the “business case” is that better performance would improve customer satisfaction, require less task processing time, or reduce system maintenance costs.

A compelling business case adequately captures both the quantifiable and unquantifiable characteristics of a proposed project. The business case depends on business attitude and business volume.

Business cases can range from comprehensive and highly structured, as required by formal project management methodologies, to informal and brief. Information included in a formal business case could be the background of the project, the expected business benefits, the options considered (with reasons for rejecting or carrying forward each option), the expected costs of the project, a gap analysis and the expected risks.

Consideration should also be given to the option of doing nothing including the costs and risks of inactivity. From this information, the justification for the project is derived. Note that it is not the job of the project manager to build the business case or the business case template, this task is usually the responsibility of stakeholders and sponsors.

The Business Case Template contains the following:

  1. Introduction
  2. Strategies
  3. Benefits
  4. Implications of not undertaking proposal
  5. Alternatives
  6. Organizational Areas Affected
  7. Risks
  8. Investment Costs
  9. Running Costs
  10. Payback
  11. Timescales
  12. Decision

Every project management template:

  • Is professionally laid out
  • Has the charts and tables you need
  • Comes with step-by-step instructions
  • Contains practical examples
  • Includes tips & hints

Why use templates:

Project Managers often have various templates on their PC or laptop. When they start a new project, they sift through them trying to find something relevant, consuming valuable time and energy – only to have to start again from scratch when nothing suitable turns up.

That’s where this Project Management Template Bundle is invaluable. For every project you’re involved with, you can simply open a template from the kit and start filling it in.

It saves you time and effort, and because each template has been professionally laid out, you can generate higher quality documentation as a result. Buy and download the Project Management Bundle today.

By Alex Puscasu

I am a Project Management practitioner with more than 5 years experience in hardware and software implementation projects. Also a bit of a geek and a great WordPress enthusiast. I hope you enjoy the content, and I encourage you to share your knowledge with the world.