Developing a Business Case

What Is a Business Case?

Perhaps you’ve been managing a project and you’ve concluded that acquiring some new software would help your company cut costs and increase efficiencies. Or maybe you want to hire several new employees or buy a new piece of equipment for your group.

You’ve presented your proposal to your boss, and he responded, “You’ll need to make the business case for it before we can consider it.”

You’re happy to oblige—but you’re not sure what, precisely, a business case consists of or how to go about creating one. You wonder, “Does he mean a business plan?” But a business case differs in important ways from a business plan. Your first ...