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Project Management vocabulary · Project Lifecycle

Business case

Meaning in project management, with examples

/ˈbɪznəs ˌkeɪs/nounCommon term

In project management, business case means: A document or argument that explains why a project is worth doing, comparing its expected benefits with its costs, risks and alternative options.

In Turkish: iş gerekçesi, yatırım gerekçesi, iş durumu analizi

How it is used

Written before a project is approved and checked again at key points. People write, build, present and approve a business case. “There is a strong business case for…” means there are good reasons to do something.

Example sentences

  1. The business case shows that the new system will pay for itself in about three years.

  2. Before the board approves the budget, we need a business case with at least two options.

Common collocations

  • build a business case
  • strong business case
  • approve the business case
  • make the business case for
  • feasibility studyAn early study that checks whether a proposed project is practical and realistic, looking at technical, financial, legal and time factors before a final decision.
  • project sponsorA senior manager who owns the business reason for a project, secures its funding, makes the big decisions and supports the project manager when problems need higher authority.
  • project charterA short official document that authorises a project to start. It states the goals, high-level scope, main stakeholders, budget and the project manager's authority.
  • KPIShort for key performance indicator: a measurable value that shows how well a project, team or organisation is doing against an important goal.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Project Lifecycle

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