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Business Cases

A Business Case brings together the investment and benefits of an initiative and everything beneath it, for financial analysis such as net present value (NPV). Each Business Case belongs to one initiative, and is found in the Business Case section of that initiative's Properties page.

Business Cases are being phased out. Existing Business Cases can still be used for now, but avoid building new processes that depend on them.

This article covers the Advanced Model only. Setting up Business Cases needs Full Admin, or an Admin Role with Update permission on Classifications.

How Business Cases work

Business Cases are switched on for an initiative classification. When an initiative of that classification is created, a Business Case is created with it, named Business Case for [initiative]. It covers that initiative and every initiative beneath it.

A new Business Case starts with these settings, which can be changed at any time:

  • Automatic Duration — turned on, so the Business Case spans the initiative's own dates.
  • Classification — the default Business Case classification.
  • Discount Rate — the first discount rate measure in your organization.
  • Present Year — the financial year the initiative starts in.

A Business Case can't be deleted from the initiative. It's removed only where Business Cases are switched off for the initiative's classification — see Enabling Business Cases.

Net present value

A Business Case sets how the NPV of the initiatives it covers is discounted: its Discount Rate measure gives the rate for each financial year, and its Present Year is the year that isn't discounted. NPV is worked out for every initiative, whether or not it's in a Business Case. For the full calculation, and the dashboard that shows it, see NPV Dashboard.

Setting up Business Cases

Business Cases need a Business Case classification, and then need to be switched on for the initiative classifications that should have them.

Creating a Business Case classification

To create a Business Case classification:

  1. Navigate to Administration > Classifications.

    The Classifications option on the Administration side menu.
    The Classifications option on the Administration side menu.

  2. Click + Classification.

    The + Classification button.
    The + Classification button.

  3. Select Business Case as the Object Type.

    Selecting Business Case as the Object Type.
    Selecting Business Case as the Object Type.
  4. Enter a Name.
  5. Select a Color.

  6. Click Create.

    The Create button.
    The Create button.

To edit a Business Case classification, click Edit next to it on the Classifications page. Custom fields mapped to the classification appear on each Business Case of that classification — see Custom Fields (Advanced Model).

Enabling Business Cases

To switch on Business Cases for an initiative classification:

  1. Navigate to Administration > Classifications.
  2. Click Edit next to the initiative classification.

  3. On the General Configuration tab, check Enable Business Case.

    The Enable Business Case option.
    The Enable Business Case option.

  4. Click Save.

    The Save button.
    The Save button.

Enable Business Case can't be checked until at least one Business Case classification exists.

Where Enable Business Case is unchecked for a classification whose initiatives already have Business Cases, the classification's page lists those initiatives, so their Business Cases can be deleted. Check the list before deleting anything.

For the initiative classification's other settings, see Configuring Initiative Classifications (Advanced Model).

Finding a Business Case

Open the initiative's Properties page. Its Business Case is shown in the Business Case section.

The Business Case section of an initiative's Properties page.
The Business Case section of an initiative's Properties page.
A Business Case on an initiative's Properties page.
A Business Case on an initiative's Properties page.

Editing a Business Case

To edit a Business Case:

  1. In the Business Case section of the initiative's Properties page, click Edit. The Edit the Business Case page opens.

    The Edit button.
    The Edit button.
  2. Change the settings, described below.
  3. Click Save.

Business Case settings

  • Description — what the Business Case is for.
  • Automatic Duration — under Business Case Duration. Where it's checked, the Business Case includes all investment and net impact for the initiative, and its dates follow the initiative's. This is the recommended setting.
  • Start Date and Duration (years) — shown where Automatic Duration is unchecked. Choose the month and year the Business Case starts, and how many whole years it runs for.
  • Classification — the Business Case classification.
  • Discount Rate — the measure holding the discount rate to apply to the Business Case's NPV calculations. Only measures that span the Business Case's whole duration can be selected. See Managing Measures.
  • Present Year — the financial year treated as the present, which isn't discounted. Later years are discounted from it.

The Discount Rate Applied for Each Financial Year chart, below the settings, shows the rate that applies to each year of the Business Case. Any custom fields mapped to the classification appear below the chart.

For the initiatives a Business Case covers, see Managing Initiatives.

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