Relationships
Contained Artifacts |
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Roles | Responsible:
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Tasks | Input To:
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Description
Main Description | The business case provides an overview of the proposed activities and deliverables,
an assessment of the problem to be addressed, and the cost-benefit analysis
for making the investment. It may evolve over time, with additional content
and detail added at different steps of the process. You might also choose
to have business cases at different levels of granularity. For example, it may
make sense to have a business case for particular aspects of a project, or specific
product capabilities.
Update the business case as needed to reflect changes in business environment,
strategy, implementation, and so on to provide an accurate assessment of project
costs and benefits to support informed decision-making. |
Brief Outline |
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Executive summary: What, why, when, who, and
how
- What is being proposed
- Objective
- Primary deliverables and work effort
- Why it is being proposed
- Business needs and problem assessment
- Timeline
- High-level cost and benefits
- Resources and organization
- General approach
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Background
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Problem or opportunity to be addressed
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Impact of addressing or not addressing
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Current environment or situation
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Additional considerations, for example: legal or regulatory requirements
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Project Description
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Objectives (short- and long-term)
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Vision of expected outcomes (“to-be” situation)
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Expected benefits (tangible or intangible)
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Strategic alignment
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Deliverables
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Measures
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Scope and not in scope
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Alternative solutions considered and why this one won
- Cost-benefit analysis
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Quantitative
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All costs (direct, indirect, initial, ongoing, and capital) and who incurs them, along with
time-frame
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All quantifiable benefits - when they will be achieved, who will benefit, level of certainty
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Qualitative
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For example: morale, service times, etc. (made quantifiable if possible)
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Market and competitor analysis
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Market segments we are targeting
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Market problems we are trying to solve
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What competitors are also aiming for the same market segments
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Resources and organization structure
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Stakeholders
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Project team resources required, including skill sets
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Organization(s) to provide the resources
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Business partners or other external participants
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Implementation strategy or work plan
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It may include change management, transition, communication plans, and so on
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Governance
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Financial, funding, budget
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Business and operational impacts
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For example: changes in services and products; organizational changes; training required
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Assumptions, risks, and dependencies
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It includes risks associated with not proceeding
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Conclusions and recommendations
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Tailoring
Representation Options |
The exact content and level of detail in a business case may vary depending on the formality of process or scale of the
project or product. For example, new offerings may require more details than maintenance releases do. Within a
given portfolio or portfolio subset, having consistent business case content and representation makes it easier for
prioritization and funding decisions across like elements to be made.
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