Business Case Template | Free Download - for Projects and Programmes

Business Case Template contents

Field

Field description and guidance for completion

Document Information

The document ID, owner, issue created, last saved date and file name.

Document History

The Version Number, Issue Date and the changes made to that version.

Document Approvals

The Role or Job Title, Name and Signature of each approver of the Business Case.

Executive Summary

Problem or opportunity
Alignment to the Business Strategy
Solution alternatives
Recommended Solution
Expected costs and benefits
Implementation Approach.

Provide an ‘at a glance’ summary of the project purpose, goals, cost/benefits, risks and options. It should be concisely, but informative so that a c-level executive can quickly grasp the value of the project. It often easier to write this section last. It should include the following:

Business Problem

This section of the Business Case deals with the description and explanation of the Business Problem that the project is designed to solve.

Environmental Analysis

Business Vision, Strategy or Objectives
Business processes or technologies which are not operating efficiently
New Competitor products or processes which have been identified
New technology trends (or opportunities resulting from new technologies introduced)
Commercial or operational trends which are driving changes in the business
Changes to Statutory, legislative or other environmental requirements.

Outline the core aspects of the business environment which have driven the business case for this project. These may include:

Problem Analysis

Business Problem

Provide a description of the business problem, including:

The reasons why the problem exists.
The impact it is having on the business (e.g. financial, cultural, operational)
Any time scales within which the problem must be resolved, or key milestones.
The impact of doing nothing.

Business Opportunity
Outline the business opportunity which has been identified, including:

Any supporting evidence
A time frame within which the opportunity will likely exist
The positive impact that realization of the opportunity will have on the business.

Outline the business problem or opportunity that this project is design to address.Provide a description of the business problem, including:Outline the business opportunity which has been identified, including:

Available Options

This section provides an overview of all solution options, their benefits, costs, feasibility, risks and issues. Options suggested could include doing nothing, in-house solutions, outsourcing options, offshore solution, automated solutions, manual or process based options. Often the number of options available can be reduce by a detailed Feasibility Study.

Option [number]

Benefits, goals & measurement criteria
Describe the tangible and intangible benefits to the company upon implementation of the solution. One of the obvious benefits described will be that the business problem / opportunity outlined above will be addressed.

Complete the following table:CategoryBenefitMetricSuggested categories: Financial, Operational, Market, Customer, or StaffDescribe the expected benefit(s), if at all possible they should be measurable.The target in measurable terms for example: x dollars reduction in costs or x percentage improvement in time to market.

Costs and Funding Plan
Describe the tangible and intangible costs to the company upon implementation of the solution. The

Complete the following table:CategoryCostMetricBudgetedSuggested categories: people, physical, marketing, organisational and services.Describe the cost.Give the cost, this will usually be in terms of monetary value.State whether cost is budgeted for either Yes or No.

Funding Plan

Identify Funding Sources and AmountsFunding SourceAmountNotes
Feasibility

Describe the feasibility of the solution. This section, may summarize the results of a separate Feasibility Study carried about prior to the completion of this Business Case.

Risks

List the known risks associated with the adoption of this solution.
Helpful guides for this section: A guide to DescriptionLikelihoodImpactMitigating ActionsExample risk: inability to recruit skilled procurementLowVery HighInvolve retained recruitment consultant to source team members. Consider using consultants on fixed term contracts.Example risk: Technology solution is unable to deliver required results.MediumHighComplete a pilot project against most business critical requirements. Consider using Agile methods to deliver working product in Sprints.Example risk: Additional capital expenditure may be required in addition to that approved.MediumMediumMonitor project spend as per the project methodology. Report on spend biweekly to the Project Board. Assign PMO Director to support Project Manager in cost control.

Issues
List the key issues associated with the delivery of this option.

Issues are defined as anything which currently impacts the ability of the solution to produce the required outcomesstakeholdermap.com

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Complete the following table or use this DescriptionPriorityResolution ActionsExample issue: Required capital expenditure funds have not been budgeted.HighRequest funding approval as part of this proposal.Example issue: CFO is not available for the Project Board meeting when this Business Case is scheduled to be reviewed.MediumCFO will be sent soft copy in advance of the Board and will submit her comments for review at the board.

Upon approval of the business case, each issue should be formally recorded and tracked, using an

Assumptions
List the major

There will be no legislative, business strategy or policy changes during this project as it relates to SaaS software and data security.
Prices of subscriptions will not increase during the course of this project.
Additional human resource will be available from the business to support this project.

Provide a number, name and description of the option identified. The description should include the approach that would be taken and the main elements of the solution for example: people, process, organization, and technology.Describe the tangible and intangible benefits to the company upon implementation of the solution. One of the obvious benefits described will be that the business problem / opportunity outlined above will be addressed.Complete the following table:Describe the tangible and intangible costs to the company upon implementation of the solution. The costs of the actual project should be included as well as any negative impact to the business resulting from the delivery of the project.Complete the following table:Identify Funding Sources and AmountsDescribe the feasibility of the solution. This section, may summarize the results of a separate Feasibility Study carried about prior to the completion of this Business Case.List the known risks associated with the adoption of this solution. Helpful guides for this section: A guide to Risk Management . Example Risk Register . Possible responses to risk . A table similar to the below could be used:List the key issues associated with the delivery of this option.. Complete the following table or use this Issue Log Template Upon approval of the business case, each issue should be formally recorded and tracked, using an Issue Log List the major assumptions that have been taken in assessing this option. Examples include:

Option [number]

Description
See above

Benefits
See above

Costs
See above

Feasibility
See above

Risks
See above

Issues
See above

Assumptions
See above

See aboveSee aboveSee aboveSee aboveSee aboveSee aboveSee above

Option Recommended

Note the recommend option and give the primary reasons why this option was chosen.

Implementation Approach

This section provides an overview of the approach that will be taken to deliver the recommended option and derive the business benefits.

Where a Project Management Methodology will be used this should be noted here.

Project Initiation

Outline the method by which the project will be defined, the project team formulated and the project office established.

Project Planning

Define the overall planning process to ensure that the project phases, activities and tasks are undertaken in a coordinated fashion. See the Project Lifecycle for some examples.

Project Execution

Identify the phases and activities required to complete the ‘build’ phase of the project.

Project Closure

List the steps necessary to release the deliverables to the business (once complete), close the project office, reallocate staff and perform a Post Implementation Review of the project.

Project Management