How to write a business case

1. strategies?
2. Is the project plan aligned with the business case? (e.g. are the costs and timescales in the project plan correctly reflected in the business case?)
11. Does the business case include project costs and risks?
12. Does the business case conform to organisational accounting standards (e.g. break-even analysis and cash-flow conventions)?

How do you write a good business case?

A good business case must contain certain key information including:

• The reasons for doing the project;
• The business options which have been considered, including the base business options of do nothing, so something, or do something else;
• Project and operational costs;
• Project and operational timescales;
• Benefits, expressed in measurable terms;
• Investment appraisal (or cost benefit analysis);Construction project management guide
• Major risks and their mitigation plans;

How long is a business case?Knowledge Train

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.19 Feb 2026

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?’);Waterfall method
• Investment appraisal – weigh up costs, times, risks against benefits – (answers the question ‘Is it worth it?’);
• Major risks – (answers the question ‘What if?’).Knowledge Train

What is a business case template?19 Feb 2026

A business case template serves as a starting point when writing a business case. It is reusable and can be used across all your projects. Depending upon its needs, your organisation may have different business case templates, each one used for different scales of projects.

You can download an example Learn about the linear and sequential approach to software development and project management called the waterfall method. The article will detail the steps, pros, and cons of this method.business case template here .

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.

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.