Also, progress must be measured by looking at what has been delivered, rather than activities completed. Timeboxing helps to control who is doing what and when. DSDM can also be combined with methods such as Kanban, which help teams to visualize project progress and see who is doing what, when and how long it will take them.
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Timescales It’s also important to understand how long the investment of resources will take. This is so that the organisation (or family in this case) knows when the resources will be freed up to work on other projectsCopied! or activities.
Key takeaways There are usually 2 timescales to consider. First, the timescale of the project or activity – in this case 3 months to find a new house and move there. Second, the time over which the benefits shall be realized. In this case it’s 5 years until the kids leave school.
Strong project management improves delivery, governance, and organisational confidence. CostsClear roles, accountability, and stakeholder communication improve decision-making and reduce conflict. The costs of doing the project or activity is the next important bit of information. On this project, the costs of moving to a new house will be £5,000. These are the project costs.Structured planning and sequencing cut waste, optimise resources, and improve budget control. However, the couple will spend an additional £2,000/year for every year over which the business case is calculated. For a project in an organisation, this is usually referred to as the operational costs of maintaining and operating the projects outputs e.g. an IT system. At this point, the couple knows the total costs over the timescales when the benefits shall be realized.
Agile methodologiesWhat makes a good business case?
As you have seen in this article, there’s several important bits of information which goes into a business case. Don’t spend unnecessary time though adding information which isn’t required. Your project sponsor will have to read your business case before they approve it, and you don’t want to make their job any harder than it already is!
Simon BuehringThere are several things you can use to check whether your business case is adequate or not. Here’s a checklist of 13 questions to ask yourself before you submit your business case to your sponsor for approval:
23 Feb 2026Are the reasons for the project consistent with the corporate,Discover the variety of Agile methodologies and their unique implementations across sectors. Read more to see which fits your needs. or
programme managementIs the
project planAre the benefits clearly identified and justified?
Is it clear how the benefits will be realized?Is the preferred business option clearly stated, along with the reasons why?
Simon BuehringIf the project requires external procurement, is the preferred sourcing option stated, and why?Does the business case include non-financial, as well as financial criteria?
Delve into Lean management, a philosophy of continuous improvement and learning. Read more on how it transforms businesses.Does the business case include operations and maintenance costs and risks?
Project and operational timescales;
Simon BuehringBenefits, expressed in measurable terms;
19 Feb 2026Investment appraisal (or cost benefit analysis); Major risks and their mitigation plans;New to Scrum? Our visual guide explains the methodology clearly. Download the accompanying poster to share with your team.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: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?’);
Investment appraisal – weigh up costs, times, risks against benefits – (answers the question ‘Is it worth it?’); Major risks – (answers the question ‘What if?’).What is a business case template?
What is the purpose of a business case?
The purpose of a business case is simple – it’s used to justify an investment in an activity. Typically, in an organisation this activity is a project. It helps give confidence to management that their investment is worthwhile and will realize benefits for the organisation. Who owns a business case?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.
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