I am sure all of you have written or reviewed Project and Program Business Cases. In addition to those you have personally encountered you have seen many more examples, templates and recommendations for business cases.

In my experience, the #1 purpose of the business case in most organizations is to get the project approved. I think this is a recipe for disaster because it potentially promotes the wrong behavior. If all I care about is getting my initiative approved, then I need only understand my organization well enough to provide me the insight into obtaining that approval. This may be no more than knowing:

• Who to ask or schmooze
• What to say - the buzzwords du jour
• How to say it - manipulating if not exploiting the project approval process

I've seen some organizations manage to rise above these practices by installing the processes and mechanisms to ensure projects are aligned with Enterprise strategy and pledge to realize a targeted ROI. Even organizations achieving these higher-level business case practices are subject to the frequent problem of underestimating the full scope and impact of the project, what is actually required for success, and how to truly determine if it is a good investment. This is even more problematic with technology projects. They may approve the new technology that has all the earmarks of being the right thing to do and find all-to-late they did not have an adequate understanding of the associated business aspects required for success.

So we need a business case that provides us the information necessary to raise the potential for success. Once again, I turn to the ValIT Framework from the IT Governance Institute for a superb list of attributes for a great project or program business case. They suggest the following content:

• The business benefits targeted, their alignment with business strategy - who in the business will be responsible for securing them
• The business changes needed to create additional value
• The investments needed to make the business changes
• The investments required to change or add new IT services and infrastructure
• The ongoing IT and business costs of operating in the changed way
• The risks inherent in the above, including any constraints or dependencies
• Who will be accountable for the successful creation of optimal value
• How the investment and value creation will be monitored throughout the economic life cycle, and the metrics to be used

I love this outline because it does not neglect the associated and peripheral business dimensions of the initiative (note the word "business" is used 6 times - the term "IT" is used only twice). They also use the word "value" 3 times and rightfully acknowledge the requisite business changes and business accountability for ensuring success. I believe this level of detail and insight would enable most Enterprises to:

• Ensure they are investing in the right things
• Ensure the program/project includes all of the activities required for success
• Reduce the intolerable number of project failures
• Accurately measure the value of the program/project
• Improve their investment decision-making process

What do you think of this business case outline? Let me know if you believe anything is missing or if you have anything to add.

Steve Romero, IT Governance Evangelist