Creating a Business Case

Steps of preliminary investigation

Step 1: Understand the Problem or Opportunity Step 2: Define the Project Scope and Constraints Step 3: Perform Fact-Finding Step 4: Analyze Project Usability, Cost, Benefit, and Schedule Data Step 5: Evaluate Feasibility Step 6: Present Results and Recommendations to Management

Step 6: Present results to management

Typical Report Includes: 1. Introduction 2. Systems Request Summary 3. Findings 4. Case for Action 5. Project Roles 6. Time and Costs Estimates 7. Expected Benefits 8. Appendix

What is SWOT analysis?

strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats analysis

Step 2: Define the Project Scope and Constraints

◦ Define the specific boundaries, or extent, of the project ◦ Define project scope by creating a list with sections called Must Do, Should Do, Could Do, and Won't Do ◦ Define project scope as clearly as possible to avoid project creep ◦ Identify Constraints

Step 1: Understand the Problem or Opportunity

◦ Develop a business profile that describes business processes and functions ◦ Understand how modifications will affect business operations and other information systems ◦ Determine which departments, users, and business processes are involved ◦ Systems request may not reveal an underlying problem ◦ Consider using a RCA tool

Step 3: Perform Fact-Finding

◦ Gather data about project usability, costs, benefits, and schedules ◦ Analyze organization charts

strategic planning

◦ Starts with a mission statement ◦ Continues with goals and objectives ◦ Long and short-term goals identified

Step 5: Evaluate Feasibility

◦ Technical Feasibility: Identify the hardware, software, and network resources needed to develop, install, and operate the system. Develop a checklist that will highlight technical costs and concerns ◦ Operational Feasibility: Review of user needs, requirements, and expectations. Look for areas that might present problems for system users and how they might be resolved ◦ Economic Feasibility: Apply the financial analysis tools and consider cost-benefit data. ◦ Schedule Feasibility: Include stakeholder expectations regarding acceptable timing and completion dates

Step 4: Analyze project usability, cost, benefit, and schedule data

◦ What information must you obtain, and how will you gather and analyze the information? ◦ Will you conduct interviews? ◦ How many people will you interview, and how much time will you need to meet with the people and summarize their responses? ◦ Will you conduct a survey? ◦ Who will be involved? ◦ How much time will it take people to complete it? ◦ How much time will it take to tabulate the results? ◦ How much will it cost to analyze the information and prepare a report with findings and recommendations?

What questions should a business case should answer?

◦ Why are we doing this project? ◦ What is the project about? ◦ How does this solution address key business issues? ◦ How much will it cost? ◦ What is the return on investment and payback period? ◦ How long will it take? ◦ Will we suffer a productivity loss during the transition? ◦ What are the risks of doing the project? ◦ What are the risks of not doing the project? ◦ How will we measure success? ◦ What alternatives exist?

What is the business case?

Business case refers to the reasons, or justification, for a proposal.

What are some examples of fact-finding?

1. conduct interviews 2. review documentation 3. observe operations 4. conduct a user survey 5. analyze the dataExamples of fact-finding 1. conduct interviews 2. review documentation 3. observe operations 4. conduct a user survey 5. analyze the data