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Project and operational timescales;

Benefits, expressed in measurable terms;

  • Investment appraisal (or cost benefit analysis);
  • Major risks and their mitigation plans;
  • How long is a business case?
  • A good business should be long enough that it contains all the information needed for the decision-makers to take an informed decision about whether to invest in the project. That means, remove any waffle, and only include information which helps decision-making.
  • What’s included in a business case?
The following are the most important items to put into a business case:MoSCoW prioritisation method
Executive summary – summarizes the key points;The reasons for the project (answers the question ‘Why are we doing this?’);The options considered – e.g. do nothing, do something, or do something else – (answers the question ‘What’s the best option?’);The expected benefits – in measurable terms – (answers the question ‘What’s the return?’);Costs – both project and operational – (answers the question ‘How much will it cost?’);

Timescales – for the project and for realizing benefits – (answers the question ‘How long will it take?’);

A business case is owned by the person who is funding the project. The name of this role is different across organisations, but commonly this role is known as a project sponsor, or project executive.

By owning the business case, it means this person is accountable for ensuring that any investment decisions which are taken based upon the information within the business case are worthwhile.

MoSCoW prioritisation method

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