A2.5.3 Contents
A business case should contain some or all of the following information types (depending on the size, timing, scale and availability of information):
- Reference – project name/reference, origins/background/current state
- Context – business objectives/opportunities, business strategic alignment (priority)
- Value proposition – desired business outcomes, outcomes roadmap, business benefits (by outcome), quantified benefits value, costs/ROI financial scenarios, risks/costs of not proceeding, project risks (to project, benefits and business)
- Focus – problem/solution scope, assumptions/constraints, options identified/evaluated, size, scale and complexity assessment
- Deliverables – outcomes, deliverables and benefits planned, organizational areas impacted (internally and externally), key stakeholders, dependencies
- Workload – approach, phase/stage definitions (project (change) activities, technical delivery activities, workload estimate/breakdown, project plan and schedule, critical path)
- Required resources – project leadership team, project governance team, team resources, funding
- Commitments (required) – Project controls, reporting processes, deliverables schedule, financial budget/schedule
At various stages in the project, the business case should be reviewed to ensure that:
- The justification is still valid,
- The project will deliver the solution to the business need.
The result of a review may be the termination or amendment of the project. The business case may also be subject to amendment if the review concludes that the business need has abated or changed, this will have a knock on effect on the project.