Business Case
A business case captures the primary reasons for initiating a project, change, or launching a new idea.
What is a business case?
A business case helps capture the primary reasons for initiating a project, change, or launching a new idea. The business case serves as written, formal documentation of why the organization should activate the idea. The business case evaluates the benefit, costs, risks, and alternative options, while providing rationale for the preferred solution.
The business case should include the following:
- Reason for and importance of the project. Connect the project to the customer’s need and explain how it aligns with business objectives.
- Explain the problem and highlight the business risks should the issue not be addressed.
- Highlight the value of the project. Summarize the tangible and intangible benefits of the project. Talk about the project’s success and what the organization would gain should the project, or change, be successful.
- Evaluate other options and provide recommendations. Highlight the approach that you believe best fits the organization’s needs. Suggest appropriate timelines and articulate what resources will be required to make the project a success.
To learn more about using the Business Case Canvas, please refer to the provided video training tutorial.
Download the Free "Business Case Canvas" Template (PDF)
Purchase the template to customize for your own organization
All of our tools and templates are available in Word or PowerPoint format to allow organizations to purchase and customize the templates to their brand standards.
Being able to use a Business Case to understand the benefit, costs, risks, and alternative options are critical when initiating a project, change, or new idea. This topic is a core concept of applying creative problem-solving through design thinking. To learn more about design, please visit our Introduction to Design Thinking Course.
The Design Thinking course teaches a creative problem-solving that will give any professional an advantage in their industry or career.
- Designers or Product Development professionals that are motivated to bring innovative new products and services to their business and customers.
- Consultants who want to offer their clients a model for applying creative problem-solving to help address business challenges.
- Human Resource professionals seeking to develop more human-centered solutions to support workforce members while driving higher levels of employee engagement.
- Members of Leadership who are wishing to gain competitive advantage by differentiating their business’s products and services.
- Individuals or Teams that are searching for new ways to solve complex problems by placing the customer’s needs at the center of their solutions.
This course will help expose the learner to various design thinking tools and mental models – all with the emphasis on innovating through creative problem-solving.
Our objective is to provide the learner with practical tools for applying a versatile 3-step design thinking process within their organizations. Through this framework, the learner will be able to reframe problems from the customer’s perspective. With this perspective in mind, the learner will drive improvements around the customer experience using tools such as deep-dive interview, journey mapping, empathy mapping, and rapid prototyping.
Need help introducing use of a Business Case Canvas at your organization?
Schedule a 30 minute coach call today and let’s talk through the details.
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