Project selection 53 Developing a project business case Projects are approved via a business case. A business case provides the information to answer the question why should a project be invested in? It explains what the project is, why it should be done, what it will take to do, the benefits and costs of doing it, and any other information needed to decide whether to do the project or not. Any significant project, or one that requires the use of shared resources such as IT staff, will need a business case. To develop a business case: 1 2 Find out if there is a standard business-case format to use. Most businesses have standard business-case templates for different types of investments. Choose the template appropriate for the type and scale of investment your project will require. A minor project should only require a 1­2-page business case. A major programme may require significant effort to create the business case, to be contained in a long document with several chapters. Make sure you understand the objectives of the project. If the objectives are 3