Business Case Study Template

• Site conducted

  Select

• Title of the IT Project

• Submittal Date

  Date

• Version

• Organization

• Conducted on

  Date

• Prepared by

• Location
  Address

Purpose

• Clearly state the purpose of the Business Case Analysis (BCA), including subject, to whom submitted, and any other clarifying information.

Problem Statement

• Describe the gap/problem(s), its magnitude (i.e., which mission/functional areas, people, organizations, processes, etc. are affected) and the primary mission or business impacts if not corrected.

Background and Contex

• Provide additional context that explains the current situation (e.g., policy, process, environmental factors). Identify root causes (if known) and contributors to the observed problem(s). Include relevant research and information on industry or market conditions as appropriate. Keep the focus strategic

Project Initiative Description and Requirement(s)

• Provide a short, high level description of the project -- what it is and what it is intended to accomplish. Address high level requirement(s), to include: strategic alignment, mission needs, mandates, functional needs, Data Impact Level Assessment per DoD Risk Management Framework, and DoD Cloud Security Model and Mission Impact Assessment. Detailed requirements are provided in Appendix C. Provide key baseline value(s), overall objectives (strategic and operational) and high level timeline (start and end dates). Explain if objectives are to be achieved in increments.

Benefits

• Describe the desired/expected outcomes, positive results, benefits, efficiencies, and cost savings of implementing this project/program (in measureable terms if possible).

Scope

• Define the project/initiative’s boundaries (e.g., technology, organizations, users, processes, functions, etc.). Explain what it includes and excludes.

Assumptions and Constraints

• Briefly explain key assumptions and constraints essential to understanding the basis of the analysis contained in the business case. Include timeframe of fiscal years used in the analysis. If root causes were not identified in 1.3 because they are unknown, assumptions concerning root causes should be noted here.

POCs and Roles & Responsibilities

• Include contact information for: the person and organization leading the effort, the functional and technical experts and BCA developers who wrote or were consulted in the writing of the BCA, the financial person/organization who/that validated the financial measures, and other persons who may be contacted to answer questions about the BCA. Specify POC roles and responsibility in the writing of the BCA so that any questions can be more quickly addressed For example: The following personnel were involved with the development of this BCA and may be contacted.

• Consider criteria in formulating and evaluating possible alternatives to the problem. Criteria are based on mission need and required capability from the problem statement as well as on facts, assumptions, and the Voice of the Stakeholder or anything else that provides separation between alternatives. There are two types of criteria: screening and selection / evaluation criteria. Screening criteria are used to assess the viability of the alternatives, and can be used to constrain the number of alternatives to be evaluated. Selection / evaluation criteria are developed in order to differentiate among alternatives under consideration. Some examples of screening criteria include:

  
Alternative

• Short name – short description

• Explain very generally why the alternatives were selected (e.g., alignment to goals, feasibility, cost, etc.) Additional detail is provided below. As appropriate, provide information on comparable projects and/or benchmark models if available.

• Identify which alternative offers the lowest risk and which offers the highest risk, and whether risks identified are considered acceptable or not acceptable after risk management efforts.

• The following risk cubes should be used, and tailored as appropriate:

  

Summary Comparison and Recommendation

• Identify the alternative found to be the best option, discuss merits of each alternative and rational for recommended alternative, with summary rationale data.

Financial

Alternative

• NPV

• Break Even

• BCR

• ROI

• Cost (FY15-21) $M

• Unfunded (FY15-21) $M

• Savings (FY15-21) $M

Non-Financial

Alternative

• Requirements

  Exceeds

  Meets

  Not Acceptable

• Operational Benefits

  Significant

  Moderate

  Low

  None

Completion

• Additional Recommendations

• Business Strategist Name and Signature

  Sign