Definition of Business Case
I heard a quote recently which I thought very accurately described the term “Business Case”.
Business Case, n. - The lies people tell to get funding for a project or initiative.
Ultimately, this definition is on the mark with respect to what business cases often become. An effort to say in 10 words what you could say in 2 words in order to convince some decision makers that you should get funding and resources. It’s an inherently unproductive process to create them and then evaluate them.
One of the things that I’ve seen work very well is forcing people to keep their business case to a single page. This forces them to pick their words carefully and articulate their strategy, goals, etc in plain English. It will prevent people from hiding behind large decks of pretty pictures and rambling jargon and perhaps get you to the salient points you want to evaluate the value of the project.
Tags: business case
