Business case template for insights on how to articulate a business proposition for information technology projects.

1. Author:[authorname]
Last Updated:Jan 21, 2018

2. ITProjectBusiness Case– [ProjectName]
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3. ITProjectBusiness Case– [ProjectName]
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Table of contents
Executive Summary............................................................................................................................3
Intended Audience..............................................................................................................................3
Approach & Methodology...................................................................................................................3
Assumptions ......................................................................................................................................3
Business Need....................................................................................................................................3
Problem/Opportunity Description ....................................................................................................3
Impact of Problem/Opportunity .......................................................................................................4
Benefits..........................................................................................................................................4
Alternatives Analysis ..........................................................................................................................4
Recommendation................................................................................................................................4
Project Description .........................................................................................................................4
Goals and Objectives ......................................................................................................................4
Project Objectives...........................................................................................................................5
Organizational Impact.....................................................................................................................5
Constraints .....................................................................................................................................5
Cost Benefit / Payback Period Analysis................................................................................................5
Strategic Alignment............................................................................................................................5
Enterprise Architecture Alignment...................................................................................................6
Data Management Implications........................................................................................................6
Key Issues and Risks ..........................................................................................................................6
Contributors .......................................................................................................................................6
Approvals ..........................................................................................................................................7
Revision History.................................................................................................................................7

4. ITProjectBusiness Case– [ProjectName]
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Executive Summary
The Executive Summary provides a concise overviewof the business outcomes sought after and the
proposed initiative to achieve the desired end state. This section should provide an overview/summary of
the details included in the rest of the document. An executive summary typically incorporates content on
requirements, the anticipated outcomes, the recommendation, and costs.
If the executive had 3 minutes to read this section and nothing else in the document, what would be
included?
[Provide Executive Summary]
Intended Audience
Describe the purpose of thisdocument, and explain the needs of each of the review and approvers and
how this document addresses their perspectives.
[Insert Purpose]
Approach & Methodology
Demonstrate due diligence and rigorous investigative process hasoccurred. Define the approaches in
which data wascollected, analyzed, and summarized. Describe the methodology used as part of cost
benefit analysis.
[Insert Methodology]
Assumptions
Highlight assumptions that are unique to the business case. Describe any due diligence conducted as
part of validating stated assumptions, rate the effect of any assumption(s) that prove to be inaccurate.
[Insert Assumptions]
Business Need
Problem/Opportunity Description
Explain what the opportunity orproblem be addressed by this project. Describe the historical state and
how changes in (strategic direction, external conditions, etc.) have resulted in a business need or
opportunity. Highlight the product, service, and technological improvements that are delivered. Utilize
measures and statistics to demonstrate the size and scope of the issue or opportunity.
[Insert Problem/Opportunity Description]

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Impact of Problem/Opportunity
Measure the impact of each problem and opportunity as they relate to stakeholders within and outside of
the organization. Separate problems and risks and estimate likelihood if any that risk become
materialized.
Stakeholders Problem Opportunity
Business Users
IT Staff
Clients
[Insert Impact of Problem/Opportunity]
Benefits
This section lists tangible, intangible, and quasi-quantifiable benefits of a successful project that satisfies
the business needs or (problem/opportunity). Discuss revenue streams or any margin gains that are
realized in the event of successof the project.
[Insert potential realized benefits]
Alternatives Analysis
List all the evaluated alternatives including maintaining the current state. For each alternative provide a
brief rationale as to why they were not selected. Utilize a rating rubric to clearly identify the factorsused
to exclude alternative in favour of the recommendations or using a pros and cons list.
[Insert Alternatives Analysis]
Recommendation
Project Description
Identify the key streams of the project, their objectives, and how the project will be delivered.
[Insert Project Description]
Goals and Objectives
Demonstrate which business objectives are supported, realized, or reinforced aspart of the elaboration
that occurs in this section. Provide traceability to each organization goal to a technical objective listed
below.

6. ITProjectBusiness Case– [ProjectName]
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[Insert Goals and Objectives]
Project Objectives
Identify each objective that is to be achieved by the project. Align each project objective to the business
objective. Forexample a business objective is to reduce development cost by 20% this may be
subsequently aligned to the project objective of successfully repatriating outsourced development costs.
These objectives should be clearly and easily quantifiable whether they have been met.
[Insert Project Objectives]
Organizational Impact
Describes how the proposed project alters or affects the organizational culture, processes, resources,
competitive positioning, tools, hardware and/or software.
[Insert Organizational Impact]
Constraints
Describe constraints for the proposed project and/or thisproject business case. Identify the impacts of
these constraints on the success of the project.
[Insert Project Assumptions and Constraints]
CostBenefit / Payback PeriodAnalysis
Clearly identify that the benefit out weights the cost of executing the project, along with significant
margin of return. Identify the bench marks and expected financial returns or costs reduced froman
operational, revenue, and technology maintenance perspective
The costs must be started as total life time costs which related to hardware, software, training, marketing,
communications, contracts/procurements, resource time, consulting, etc. These costs should be broken
down by each deliverable included in the business case. Identify the data and management of personal
information required ascost items. The costs should reflect the total cost of ownership.
Benefits can contain both observable and non-observable benefits asrecommend by the PMMI. This can
include increased morale, job satisfaction, environmental sustainability improvements, and good will
benefits of the project to clients and suppliers.
[Insert Cost Benefit Analysis]
Strategic Alignment
This section explains how the proposed project aligns with organizational, departmental, and/or
technology strategy.
[Insert Strategic Alignment]

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Enterprise Architecture Alignment
Describe how the new proposed technology project will align with the current enterprise architecture.
Including howdata will be commissioned, managed, and retired.
[Insert Enterprise Architecture Alignment]
Data Management Implications
Describe the high level strategy and the level of conformance to enterprise data management standards.
Provide rationale for why project will require new measures or exceptions aspart of creating competitive
advantage or managing transient machine data for AI initiatives.
Key Issues and Risks
Identify discovered issues and risks that will impact the success of the project. Identify theirmagnitude of
impact and their likelihood. Describe any mitigations that can avoid these issues.
[Insert Key Issues and Risks]
Risks / Issues Probability Impact Mitigation
Contributors
Describe the roles of the contributors of the technology business case.
Contributor Title / Department Section Contributed Details

8. ITProjectBusiness Case– [ProjectName]
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[Insert Contributors]
Approvals
Approval by the people listed below indicatesan understanding of the purpose and content of this
document and an agreement of the business need and proposed project outlined. This approval indicates
an acknowledgement to proceed to the next step of the Portfolio Management Group’s project intake
process.
Approved By: [print name, title here]
___________________________________________________________________
Signature: _______________________________________ Date: ________________
Approved By: [print name, title here]
___________________________________________________________________
Signature: _______________________________________ Date: ________________
RevisionHistory
Revision By Date of
Revision
Details of
Revision
Revison
Reviewed/
Approved by
Date Revision
Reviewed/
Approved