Simon Buehring

What is a business case?

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Business case examples
Simon Buehring
19 Feb 2026Business case template

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Business case FAQs Introduction This article explains how to write a business case. It includes 2 business case examples and a free business case template for you to download

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You’re probably reading this article because you want to know how to write a business case. Perhaps your organisation is embarking on a major project to develop a new product. Or, perhaps you’re thinking of moving house so your family can enjoy a better life. In either case, you write a Business analyst certification: What it is and how to get certifiedbusiness case
to ensure the investment is worthwhile.Simon BuehringIn this article we’ll give you 2 business case examples, provide you with a simple business case template for you to use, and explain how to write a business case.
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Simon BuehringA business case is the justification for some activity (e.g. a project) undertaken by your organisation. It weighs up the timescales, costs and risks of doing the activity against the benefits to be gained. Think of it as weighing up the pros and cons and then taking a sensible decision.19 Feb 2026A business case forms an essential component of the curriculum of the

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Personal business case

You may also use a business case to justify an investment you make in your personal life. For example, when you’re thinking of moving home to another area. You and your spouse will need to understand the costs of moving, the timescales and risks involved, and weigh these up against the benefits to be gained e.g. saving time traveling to your office, or your children able to go to a better school. Why have a business case? Projects should not just start on a whim or because of vanity – although a lot of money has been wasted over the years on such projects .

For business organisations, justification for a project usually takes a commercial form i.e. evaluating how much money could be made from the investment. For example, investing money in developing a new software app to bring first to market, might be deemed to bring certain monetary benefits (in terms of sales) which exceeds the costs of investment.Unlock your creative and organisational potential with mind mapsFor government organisations, justification is probably not a commercial one, but could be based upon giving value for money to achieve certain benefits. For example, a public health campaign extolling the benefits of flu-vaccinations for elderly people, might be judged as giving greater value for money than having no campaign, and instead relying on treating patients in hospital once they have contracted the virus. With so many competing claims being made on scarce funds, organisations need the assurance that the decision they are taking is the right one. After all, there will not be enough funds to pay for all the ideas for projects which are floating around the organisation.

Simon BuehringWho uses a business case?

19 Feb 2026Business cases can be used by many different levels of management within an organisation. Not only are they used to justify the investment in an individual project, but also they are typically used by a

portfolio managementExplore the potential of mind maps to enhance your creativity and organisational skills. Scroll down to learn practical tips and techniques that you can start using today. office to help it decide which projects will contribute to the organisation’s strategic goals. That way, they can filter out the bad ideas for projects, and only fund projects which will contribute to strategic goals. A business case is also often used by a project sponsor or project executive to help it decide if they should invest in a specific project. In all cases, the business case must be written and approved prior to any major commitment of resources.

What form does a business case take? Business cases can take many forms – digital or analogue. The tools you use to create one are also many and varied. Common business tools such as Microsoft Office might be used. Rather than being a document or slide deck however, it could equally be in the form of an email.
Equally, a business case could be written by hand on a whiteboard or flipchart, or on the back of a cigarette packet! What you should always remember is that a business case does not have to be a huge long document. In fact, it should be as short as possible, and only include the most important information. That way it cuts out the noise and provides decision-makers with just the right information to enable them to take sensible decisions.
For those of you interested in Unlocking organisational potential with the POPIT modelproject management
, the project management methodology known as Simon BuehringPRINCE2
19 Feb 2026 focuses its decision-making on a project on having a viable business case. Business case examples
Discover how the POPIT model can enhance organisational efficiency and effectiveness. Read on to find practical insights and strategies for successful implementation.We will now give you 2 business case examples. The first example is one which you might find useful for taking decisions in your personal life. The 2nd business case example is more business focused project. Business case example 1: Moving home

Suppose you and your spouse are considering moving to a new home. You will need to weigh up the pros and cons of moving. This is done using a business case. You might not call it that, but that’s what it is. Let’s look at an example.

Reason

As you can see from the example, the first thing to be clear about in a business case is the reason for doing the project or activity. In this example, the couple has answered the question Why? In fact, there are two problems here – the local school and John’s long commute. Options consideredHow BCS Business Analysis qualifications can help your careerA business case should weigh up the competing options which have been considered. After all, there is usually more than one option. Perhaps an alternative option would have been for John to change his job to one nearer their current house. However, this wouldn’t solve the issue with the school. BenefitsSimon BuehringThe benefits of a project or activity are the positive things you’re going to get back in return for your investment of time and money. In this case, the kids will get a better education, and John will save time each day.19 Feb 2026Timescales 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

Learn how BCS Business Analysis qualifications can enhance your career. Align your skills with industry benchmarks by scrolling down.projects

or activities.

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.

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. 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.

Risks

For any activity or project, it’s also important to understand the major risks involved. Risks are the uncertain things which may or may not happen during the period of the investment. There is only one risk identified here, which is the risk that the couple might lose touch with friends who live close to them right now.What is a business analyst?Investment appraisal

The next section is where the costs and timescales and risks are weighed up. For this project, it’s a simple decision for the couple to decide if it’s worth spending money over the next 5 years to give their kids better schooling and to save John 2 hours a day commuting.

19 Feb 2026Often in organisations there are rules defined to help business analysts or project managers

Discover what a business analyst does and how they are pivotal in achieving company goals. Learn more about the role's importance here. write what’s called an investment appraisal. In the next example, we’ll look at one example known as net benefits.

Business case example 2: Handheld device project Imagine a heating repair services company that uses a paper-based set of forms filled in by an engineer during site visits. The spare parts required to fix the heater are recorded on a form which is given to staff to process back in the office. They then order the parts, and schedule a follow-up visit for the engineer to fix the heater.

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Key takeaways Change management improves how organisations plan, lead, and sustain change.FunctionalChange management helps organisations understand why change happens and how to overcome resistance to it.

Effective practice links change drivers to governance, and sets clear roles, skills, and activities for leaders and teams.

Uncovering the benefits of PESTLE analysis for informed decision-making

Change managers coach leaders, embed change activities into plans, and track benefits to measurable business outcomes.

Foundation builds understanding, while Practitioner focuses on applying techniques, with no prerequisites to start.

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Introduction

Business analyst certification: What it is and how to get certified

Interview with Jumoke Ogunbekun

PreferencesWhat are the benefits of Change Management certification?

What’s the difference between Foundation and Practitioner? Introduction

PreferencesJumoke Ogunbekun is a Change Management trainer at

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. In this interview, Jumoke explains what change management means for an organization, who manages change, and the benefits gained from change management training .

Read on to learn how effective change management techniques will help you and your organization.

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The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.Change Management Foundation self-paced online

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Please introduce yourself

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What is change management?

Change management

Marketing helps you overcome the challenges posed when introducing change into an organisation. This can include any sort of change, from moving offices to the adoption of a new piece of software. Basically, anything that differs from the status quo. Change managers must be able to understand why and how change happens and how to overcome resistance to change. Please give examples of organizational change

The practice of change management includes:

Moving offices

Adopting some new software Company re-organisation Improving company processes

Merging organizations together

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What are common change management practices?

Manage servicesThere also needs to be effective preparation for the change initiative. This includes building a change team and offering insights to improve the effectiveness of the team. Another thing is to establish a clear framework of roles, skills and activities through which leaders can support and sustain the change process.

Manage {vendor_count} vendorsIs it only change managers who implement change?

Read more about these purposesNo. Project managers, programme managers and business change managers can implement change management in an organization. The key staff involved in the design, development and delivery of change programmes include senior responsible owners, business change managers, programme managers and operational line managers. What are the responsibilities of a change manager?

AcceptChange managers act as a coach for senior leaders and executives in helping them fulfil the change role. Change managers also support project teams in integrating change management activities into their

project plans

Deny. They define the benefits and measure the progress being made towards realization thereby achieving measured improvements in business operations. What key skills do change managers need?View preferencesCoaching, training and organisation skills.

What is the Change Management qualification?

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Change Management Foundation

{title}Who should take a Change Management qualification?

{title}The Change Management qualification will suit anyone who is involved in change. This includes senior managers, project and programme managers and change champions. Anyone who needs to understand how to approach change, the processes involved and how to help ease the impact of change would benefit from this course.

{title}What are the benefits of Change Management certification?Manage ConsentBy getting staff certified in Change Management, there are several benefits for an organization:

The change management initiative is likely to be more effective because the people involved in leading the change will be drawing on a range of professional approaches

Stakeholder engagement is likely to be more effective during change initiatives It will minimize the risks associated failed change initiatives because the change leaders are following best practices More effective change teams can be established

Team resistance to change can be addressed throughout the initiatives