Business Case: Definitions
Business Case: Definitions
Business Case: Definitions
Definitions
This template has annotated instructions in blue to explain the intent or recommended use of the information. Organizations can adapt the
template to their unique structure.
The goal of this Business Case template is two-fold:
1) Clearly explain the project benefit to decision makers,
2) Provide traceable, measurable and consistent data for benefit realization analysis after project implementation.
Section 1, the Project Summary provides an executive summary. Section 2, Business Context explains the problem/opportunity at hand. Section 3
lists each of the claimed benefits the project will deliver. Section 4 totals the financial benefits and costs as well as the risks to financial return.
Benefit/Cost Horizon This is time frame starts when the project begins and extends 7 years. For large multi-year projects, a 10-year
horizon can be used. (Organizations can adapt the time frame but it should be consistent for project comparison
reasons) The horizon should encompass the project lifespan and a few years of post-project activity to allow for
time benefit realization sampling.
Measurable Benefit Measurable financial benefits are benefits that will directly improve the Company bottom-line profit, that are
specifically/solely attributable to the project, and that can be conclusively measured after project
implementation. The measurable benefit is calculated in the NPV/ROI.
The benefit will have a specific metric that will used after project implementation, to measure the project-
specific impacts toward realizing the benefit described. Metrics for Measurable Financial Benefits should be
measurements of project-specific impacts that tie directly to bottom-line profit improvements.
Economic Benefit Economic benefits are benefits that will directly improve the Company bottom-line profit, that are
specifically/solely attributable to the project, but that cannot be conclusively measured after project
implementation.
Metrics for economic benefits should be measurements of project-specific impacts to the business process,
product/service offering, capability, etc. that are expected to indirectly improve bottom-line profit (since the
direct bottom-line project-specific profit improvement cannot be measured).
Qualitative Benefit Qualitative (“Soft”) benefits are benefits that are expected to indirectly improve bottom-line profit, but where the
anticipated profit improvement cannot be estimated (i.e., specific $-amount profit improvement by fiscal year)
with a high degree of confidence.
Incremental Operating Expenses to be incurred for the time horizon after project completion, starting with the first fiscal year in which
Expense such expenses will be incurred. Ideally, identify the department expected to incur the expense to provide
transparency and accountability to future expenses and provide input into annual budget planning.
Value Capture Analysis The activity of measuring the anticipated project benefits to validate the realization of benefits. Ideally, the
original project sponsor is responsible for this activity in tandem with the group (Finance) that originally vetted
the Business Case financial benefit.
Portfolio Categories within the portfolio to assist in reporting the types of projects. For example, Strategic vs.
Category/Foundational Compliance. Edit the properties of the control to customize the values for your organization.
Type
Benefit Type A secondary classification of the benefit that can be customized to each organization. Provides a consistent and
descriptive grouping for reporting benefits. Edit the properties of the control to customize the values for your
organization.
Key Metric The metric used after project implementation to measure the project-specific impacts toward realizing the
benefit. Composed of a baseline and anticipated target so that improvement can be measured.
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1. Project Summary
Project Name:
Submitted By:
Portfolio Category: Choose an item. (If Foundational, select type: Choose an item. )
Business Lead:
Project Manager:
Proposing Attorney:
(Provide For Legal/Regulatory
Compliance projects, else type “N/A”)
CAPEX $ 0
TOTAL $ 0
Date after project implementation to begin value capture analysis to verify benefit realization:
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2. Business Context
2.1. Project Justification
This section does not describe the proposed project/solution. Limited strictly to a description of the problem or opportunity at hand
(the problem should not be defined as “not having the proposed solution”).
Describe and quantify the Current State, Ideal State, and the resulting Gap that this project seeks to address.
Problem Statement/Background:
Provide supporting context if required. For Lights-On and Compliance projects, describe the specific issues/risks necessitating the
project (where possible please describe the current/future risks to the business, probability/impact of business interruptions or legal
action, etc.).
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Also describe all significant changes that any high impact internal groups will need to make to their day-to-day operating processes &
procedures in order to “run” the solution that is to be implemented as part of this project.
Out of Scope
3. Business Benefits
3.1. Measurable Financial Benefits
Measurable Financial Benefits are benefits that will directly improve the Company bottom-line profit, that are specifically/solely
attributable to this project, and that can be conclusively measured after project implementation. An accountable group such as
Finance/FP&A group should review and approve each stated benefit. In some companies a Financial Analyst is designated to work
with assigned departments for this function. Make a copy of each section 3.1 table for each Measurable Benefit claimed and included
in the business case NPV/ROI calculations. For accountability, it is recommended that HR approve all claimed FTE savings and that a
senior sponsor, such as VP, agree to any anticipated benefit to their responsible area.
(Copy the table below for each Measurable Benefit claimed. If this project does not have any Measurable Financial Benefits listed,
show “N/A – this project has no significant measurable financial benefits.”)
Benefit Title:
Provide a concise and unique title to
identify the benefit.
Description:
Describe the benefit, and provide a
short explanation of how this
project will deliver the benefit.
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(Based on Financial Time Horizon. Modify table from 7-year horizon to 10-year horizon as needed, or replace with N/A as
7-Year/10-Year Financial applicable.)
Benefit: (Gross $-amount)
Estimate the cumulative measurable 7 Year Horizon
improvement to bottom-line profit Previous
($-amount) for the duration of the Years FY00 FY00 FY00 FY00 FY00 FY00 FY00 TOTAL
7/10-year NPV time horizon, and (Current)
briefly describe how the improved
performance in the metric described
above translates into this $-amount.
Calculation for Business Case NPV Description of improvement:
analysis & discounting should start
at Year 1/current year, or as
designated by FP&A.
Benefit “Proof-of-Concept”:
Describe what “Proof-of-Concept”
(PoC) activities have been
completed to substantiate the
estimated benefit described above.
Some examples of Benefit PoC
activities include manual/small-scale
pilots, market research, historical
data analysis, “voice of customer”
input, etc.
Responsible Management
Committee Member:
List the management member
committing to achieve the
anticipated level of improved
business performance, per the
metrics outlined above.
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(Show “N/A – This project has no significant economic benefits.” if no benefits are listed.)
Benefit Title:
Provide a concise and unique title to
identify the benefit.
Description:
Provide a brief description of the
anticipated benefit (e.g., Increased
Market Share for XYZ
Product+Market Segment).
7-Year/10-Year Financial (Based on Financial Time Horizon. Modify table from 7-year horizon to 10-year horizon as needed, or replace with N/A as
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Benefit: applicable.)
(Gross $-amount)
7 Year Horizon
Estimate the cumulative anticipated
Previous
(un-measurable) improvement to FY00 FY00 FY00 FY00 FY00 FY00 FY00 TOTAL
Years
bottom-line profit ($-amount) for
(Current)
the duration of the 7-year NPV time
horizon, and briefly describe how
the improved performance in the
metric above is expected to translate
to this $-amount (e.g., increased Description of improvement:
customer views of personalized
marketing messages via
Company.com is expected to
provide a 1% lift in retention for
these customers based on the
market research described below,
which translates to $X/year in
incremental profit, or $5X over 7
years).
Calculation for Business Case NPV
analysis & discounting should start
at Year 1/current year, or as
designated by FP&A.
Benefit “Proof-of-Concept”:
Describe what “Proof-of-Concept”
(PoC) activities have been
completed to substantiate the
estimated benefit described above.
Some examples of Benefit PoC
activities include manual/small-scale
pilots, market research, historical
data analysis, “voice of customer”
input, etc.
Responsible Management
Committee Member:
List the Management member
committing to achieve the
anticipated level of improved
business performance, per the
metrics outlined above.
(Show “N/A – This project has no significant qualitative (soft) benefits” under the section heading if no soft benefits are listed.)
Benefit Title:
Provide a concise and unique title to
identify the benefit.
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Description:
Provide a brief description of the
anticipated benefit (e.g., Increased
Associate Engagement).
Risk Description:
Provide a brief description of the
known risk (e.g., Insufficient
Customer/ Employee Adoption,
Competitive Responses from
Competitors, Lower-than-Expected
Business Volumes, Legal/Regulatory
Constraints, etc.).
Mitigation Strategy:
Briefly describe what measures the
project team will be taking to
monitor and mitigate the benefit
realization risk described above.
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4. Appendix
4.1. Net P&L Impact (Pre-Tax)
Financial benefit time horizon period: Choose a time period.
(Modify numbers of years in table below based time horizon.)
Previous Years FYxx FYxx FYxx FYxx FYxx FYxx FYxx Total
Measurable Benefit $0K
Expense (including depreciation) $0K
Net Measurable P&L Impact $0K $0K $0K $0K $0K $0K $0K $0K $0K
Conservative Scenario
Most Likely Scenario
Aggressive Scenario
Conservative Scenario
Most Likely Scenario
Aggressive Scenario
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Depreciation
Total
Approvals
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