Business case: 7 key steps to build it and use it

A business case is essential whenever a new product needs to be launched or a new service must be created.

Once the business case is prepared, it must be presented to stakeholders, investors, supervisors, department managers … In any case, whatever the public, the project manager needs to be prepared to make a good impression and be convincing.

Today, we talk about how to build and use a business case that can convince the target audience.

What is a business case?

In short words:

A business case is the way you prove to the customer or stakeholders that the product you want to make is a good investment.

The business case is traditionally a document that defines the main advantage of a project in order to justify its expense.

It often describes how the project aligns with the strategic goals and the key elements of the organization.

Why create a business case?

The preparation of the business case allows the project manager to adopt a disciplined approach to critically examine the opportunities, alternatives, phases, and financial investment of a project. All this in order to formulate a plan for the best course of action in order to create business value.

A well-structured business case will increase the perception of the expected benefits and value of the project and reduce the risk perception. Moreover, it will create more chances of getting support from investors, both internal as well as external to the organization.

A business case is needed when:

• We want to demonstrate the value of a product or service proposed for the organization;
• We want to get investor approval;
• It must be decided whether to outsource a particular function;
• It is necessary to relocate and reorganize the commercial operations and the productive structures;
• Priority must be given to projects within the organization;
• It is necessary to ensure funding and financial resources to implement the project.

By working well and correctly on a business case, the project manager is able to competently present the project to stakeholders whose approval is essential.

The documented business case will provide security and a good level of certainty that the proposal will be accepted.

If a project management software is used in the company, it is useful that this document can be attached to the project in order to always have clear what the conditions were at its start. We use Twproject, which allows us to link all its documentation to each project, whether it is on an Online service such as Google Drive or on an internal file server.

How to write, build and use a business case

A project manager needs to take the time to write a business case that can justify the project expenses. It will have to identify the benefits for the business in general and has to emphasize the profits for the stakeholders.

The following 7 steps will show you how to effectively build and use a business case:

Step 1: identify the business problem

Projects are not created solely for the sake of the project itself, but they also have broader goals.

Usually, they are initiated to solve a specific business problem or create a business opportunity, but in the end, they have to benefit the company in general.

Therefore, the first task when drafting a business plan is to understand what the “general” problem or opportunity is, describe it, find out where it comes from, and then identify the time needed to deal with it.

Estimating the implementation time of an activity can be a daunting task. But if, for example, you plan using a good Gantt chart, which is also dynamic and can be integrated with other monitoring tools, the road is much more downhill.

Step 2: Identify alternative solutions

How to know if the project you are undertaking is the best possible solution to the problem defined above? Of course, choosing the right solution is difficult.

One way to narrow the focus and make the best solution clear is to follow these six steps that go from examining alternative solutions:

• Record alternative solutions.
• For each solution, quantify its benefits.
• Predict the costs involved in each solution.
• Understand the feasibility of each.
• Discern the risks and problems associated with each solution.
• Document everything in the business case in order to make the preferred solution clear.

Step 3: Identify and recommend the preferred solution

Once the solutions are classified, it is time to identify and recommend the preferred one.

A method that can be applied is to assign a score between 1 and 10 depending on the cost / benefit ratio of the solution.

This score helps to quantify and compare the expected benefits of each option in relation to the associated costs.

Here is how to proceed:

1. Assign scores: rate each solution on criteria such as effectiveness, efficiency, sustainability and alignment with business strategy. Assign a score to each option on a scale of 1 to 10 for each relevant criterion.
2. Calculate the cost/benefit ratio: sum the scores given to each solution and compare them. The solution with the highest score is generally the one offering the best cost/benefit ratio, namely the best overall value.
3. Take context into account: in addition to scores, consider qualitative factors such as stakeholder support, ease of implementation and long-term impact. Make sure the solution you choose not only optimises the benefits, but is also in line with the key elements and long-term vision of your business strategy.
4. Write a recommendation: clearly document which solution you selected and why it was preferred over others. Include the scores obtained, evaluation criteria and additional considerations. This recommendation should demonstrate how the choice supports the business objectives and how it will contribute to the success of the project.
5. Make a presentation: Finally, prepare a presentation highlighting why the recommended solution is the best one. Use graphs, tables and data to support your choice and make the recommendation more persuasive.

Step 4: Predict the risks of the project

In order to predict the risks of the project, it must first be foreseen what the scope of the project could be. Once this has been done, it is possible to proceed with the forecast of the possible risks.

Here are the questions to ask in this case:

• What will be the main goal?
• How long will it take to make it happen?
• What actions are included in achieving this goal? And which ones are excluded?

When we talk about risk, we will ask instead:

• What are the obvious risks of undertaking this project?
• What are the less obvious risks (such as opportunity costs)?
• What is the point of taking these risks?
• Does the benefit outweigh the cost?
• What are the intangible benefits?

Step 5: Estimate the budget and search for funds

This is where we estimate the money needed to complete the work related to the project.

It is also a good time to indicate where the funds are expected to come from: will they be collected? Borrowed? Donated or transferred in the budget?

Moreover, the following questions must be answered:

• What amount of money will be allocated to each of the necessary resources?
• What is the interval you can expect to wait to pay for each resource?

If you use software such as Twproject, drawing up a good project budget will be much easier.

Once you have entered the main values, the system will do the rest of the calculations for you, differentiating between estimated, planned and actual costs. It will update the budget with the work done by employees and additional expenses, and alert you in case of delays or overruns.

Step 6: Describe the implementation approach

At this point, the business problem – or the opportunity – and how to reach it is identified. Now is the time to convince stakeholders of the advantages of the project by describing the best way to implement the process in order to achieve the goals.

Here, in short, a preliminary project plan is made and this will include:

• Goals, preferably SMART
• Deliverables
• Scope
• Project phases
• Tasks required at each stage
• Communication systems
• Dependencies between resources
• Budget

Clearly this part does not need to be detailed and precise for now, but it should still be a fairly credible and a truthful draft.

Step 7: The executive summary of the business case

An executive summary is simply a summary – a page – of everything that has been analyzed so far.

The easiest way to do this is to provide quick summaries of:

• Problem
• Solution
• Costs
• Return on investment potential
• Time frame
• Who is involved

To make the executive summary as clear and concise as possible, the project manager should aim for an average of one sentence for each point above.

To conclude, by clarifying the goals, identifying the value that the project will bring, and explaining the implementation with clarity and security, the project manager will already be on his way to building and presenting a credible business case.

Creating a document like this can be complicated and require the work of several people. Having a project management software like Twproject that helps you managing all the phases of the document drafting could make the difference.

Try Twproject now, start planning your project from the business document to its complete development.

We offer you a 15-days trial!