Business Case

[PROJECT NAME]
[Customer, Department or Organization Name]
[Version #]
Project Name: [Document Title Here]
Project #: Project Team:

Table of Contents
Business Case...................................................................................................................................................1
Table of Contents.............................................................................................................................................2
Approval...........................................................................................................................................................3
Executive Summary..........................................................................................................................................4
Business Case Summary...................................................................................................................................5
Assessment of Current Situation/Background..................................................................................................5
Solution Requirements.....................................................................................................................................6
Alternatives Analysis........................................................................................................................................7
Financial Analysis..........................................................................................................................................10
Conclusions and Recommendations...............................................................................................................11
Appendix........................................................................................................................................................12

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Project Name: [Document Title Here]
Project #: Project Team:

Approval
NEXT STEPS
[List the next steps that will take place once the business case has been approved.]

SIGN-OFF
Project Sponsor
Name Approval Signature Date Signed

Management
Name Approval Signature Date Signed

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Project Name: [Document Title Here]
Project #: Project Team:

Executive Summary
[The executive summary should be the written in such as way as to capture the attention and make the
management team say “I see value in this I need to read more.”]

BACKGROUND
[What is the summary of the background and circumstances leading up to this initiative? What are the
problems or disconnects and the risks to the organization in maintaining the status quo?]

SUMMARY OF OBJECTIVES
[At a summary level, why should this project be considered? What is the importance to the organization,
short and long-term benefits, etc.?]

ALTERNATIVES SUMMARY
[Briefly, summarize each of the solutions that are outlined in this proposal. You may only have 2 or you
may have many more.]

FINANCIAL SUMMARY
[For each of the solutions, what are the summary numbers involved?]
# Solution Total Cost Total Benefits Overall
[Solution [Sum of all costs.] [Sum of all benefits.] [Benefits-Costs.]
1.
Name]
2.
3.
4.
5.

CONCLUSIONS
[What conclusions can be made about the project at this point in time? What are the next steps?]

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Project Name: [Document Title Here]
Project #: Project Team:

RECOMMENDATIONS
[What do you recommend management consider on the project? Which alternative should they go with
and why?]

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Project Name: [Document Title Here]
Project #: Project Team:

Business Case Summary

Business Case Date Approval
Author: Required by:
Date of Business Project Sponsor:
Case:
Organization or Suggested Project
Department: Manager:
Participants:

Assessment of Current Situation/Background

[What are the background and circumstances leading up to this initiative? What are the problems or
disconnects and the risks to the organization in maintaining the status quo?]

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Project Name: [Document Title Here]
Project #: Project Team:

Solution Requirements
OBJECTIVES
[What are the objectives of this initiative? What does the organization want and expect to achieve as a
result? Provide the details.]

SCOPE & BOUNDARIES

[What is the scope of the business case? What is in the scope of the business case and what things are
beyond the boundaries and will not be dealt with in this document?]

TIMEFRAME
[What is the timeframe of the business case?]

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Project Name: [Document Title Here]
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Alternatives Analysis
OVERVIEW OF SOLUTIONS
[What are the alternative approaches being presented in this business case?]
Alternative # Solution Details
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

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Project Name: [Document Title Here]
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DETAILED SOLUTIONS #1
Summary of Solution:
[Provide a higher-level summary of the solution.]

Scope:
[What is the scope of this alternative?]

Strategy:
[If selected, what is the proposed strategy that would be used to implement it?]

Cost Model:
[Provide a financial analysis of the costs of the solution.]

Benefits Model:
[What is the financial analysis of the benefits of the solution?]

Non-Financial Benefits:
[With every project, there are benefits that are not easy to quantify in a financial sense. Non-financial
benefits should be limited wherever possible for just that reason. If they can’t be quantified, they can’t be
measured. An example of a non-financial benefit might include increased customer satisfaction or overall
experience. Both of these are impossible to measure on their own unless you are able to break them down
to a level you can measure.]

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Project Name: [Document Title Here]
Project #: Project Team:

DETAILED SOLUTIONS #2
Summary of Solution:
[Provide a higher-level summary of the solution.]

Scope:
[What is the scope of this alternative?]

Strategy:
[If selected, what is the proposed strategy that would be used to implement it?]

Cost Model:
[Provide a financial analysis of the costs of the solution.]

Benefits Model:
[What is the financial analysis of the benefits of the solution?]

Non-Financial Benefits:
[With every project, there are benefits that are not easy to quantify in a financial sense. Non-financial
benefits should be limited wherever possible for just that reason. If they can’t be quantified, they can’t be
measured. An example of a non-financial benefit might include increased customer satisfaction or overall
experience. Both of these are impossible to measure on their own unless you are able to break them down
to a level you can measure.]

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 Financial Analysis
[What is the summary of the actual financial analysis results for each solution? ROI? Cost/Benefit Ratio? Market Share? Etc. Any detailed
information should be included in the Appendix of the business case.]
Alternative Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Total
[Name]
Costs
Benefits
Cumulative
(Benefits-
Costs)
Net Present
Value
[Name]
Costs
Benefits
Cumulative
(Benefits-
Costs)
Net Present
Value
[Add additional
projects as needed.]
Conclusions and Recommendations
CONCLUSIONS
[List the conclusions that can be drawn from the business case? What does the business case tell you?]

RECOMMENDATIONS
[Based on the business case, what do you recommend?]
Project Name: [Document Title Here]
Project #: Project Team:

Appendix
[Include any detailed information that was used in developing the business case.]

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