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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 PRINCE2 Practitioner course (Online)download . £1,599

p>What is a business case?<

strong>PRINCE2 PractitionerA 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.

> is for students wanting to learn to apply PRINCE2 on projects.A business case forms an essential component of the curriculum of the

{"@context":"http://schema.org","@type":"EducationEvent","name":"PRINCE2 Practitioner course","startDate":"2026-12-09","endDate":"2026-12-10","description":"PRINCE2 Practitioner course","url":"https://www.knowledgetrain.co.uk/project-management/prince2/prince2-course/prince2-practitioner","eventStatus":"EventScheduled","eventAttendanceMode":"OnlineEventAttendanceMode","audience":{"@type":"Audience","name":"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.<

p>In all cases, the business case must be written and approved prior to any major commitment of resources.<

strong>PRINCE2 PractitionerWhat form does a business case take?

> is for students wanting to learn to apply PRINCE2 on projects.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.

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> is for students wanting to learn to apply PRINCE2 on projects.Options considered

>"},"assesses":"A 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.<

h3>Learning outcomesBenefits

3>The 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.<

p>PRINCE2 Practitioner training provides students with an understanding of how to apply PRINCE2 on non-complex projects. Students gain an understanding of: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 <ul>projects<li> or activities.<

span>How to tailor the PRINCE2 themes, processes, and management products in a non-complex project scenarioThere 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.

>Costs

>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.<

li>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.<

span>How to approach the PRINCE2 Practitioner exam.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.

>Investment appraisal

>","learningResourceType":"presentation","teaches":"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.<

h3>CurriculumFor an organisation to decide if an investment is worthwhile, however, there are several different ways in which it can decide about the investment.

3>Often in organisations there are rules defined to help business analysts or <h4>PRINCE2 Practitionerproject managers4> write what’s called an investment appraisal. In the next example, we’ll look at one example known as net benefits.<

p>PRINCE2 Practitioner training courses (self-paced online and instructor-led classroom) cover all topics from the PRINCE2 Practitioner syllabus. This includes the following topics:Business case example 2: Handheld device project

Tailoring

PRINCE2 overview

Projects and business as usual

The structure of PRINCE2

Key PRINCE2 concepts

PRINCE2 principles

Ensure continued business justification

Learn from experience

Define roles, responsibilities, and relationships

Manage by stages

Manage by exception

Focus on products

Tailor to suit the project.

People

Key concepts related to people.

Directing a project

Initiating a project

Controlling a stage

1. Managing product delivery< or li>Managing a stage boundary< strategies?li>Closing a project.
2. < aligned with the business case? (e.g. are the costs and timescales in the project plan correctly reflected in the business case?)h5>Exam prep
5. How to approach the exam
7. Two sample exams.
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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;PRINCE2 Practitioner self-paced online

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. £899

What’s included in a business case?

The following are the most important items to put into a business case:Enrol now

• 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?’);{"@context":"http://schema.org","@type":"Course","name":"PRINCE2 Practitioner self-paced online","description":"Complete online at your own pace (Self-paced)","image":"https://www.knowledgetrain.co.uk/training-courses/res/logos/axelos-peoplecert-prince2-accredited-training-organisation-logo.svg","url":"https://www.knowledgetrain.co.uk/project-management/prince2/prince2-course/prince2-practitioner","provider":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Knowledge Train","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://www.knowledgetrain.co.uk/project-management/prince2/prince2-course/prince2-practitioner"}},"assesses":"
• Learning outcomes
• PRINCE2 Practitioner training provides students with an understanding of how to apply PRINCE2 on non-complex projects. Students gain an understanding of:

How to tailor the PRINCE2 themes, processes, and management products in a non-complex project scenario

How to approach the PRINCE2 Practitioner exam.