The Business Case theme responds to the principle that a PRINCE2 project should have continued business justification.
The purpose of a Business Case is to justify the investment in the output of a project - the products which will be delivered by the project team. This justification is generally made in the form of an investment appraisal setting out the predictions of cost, benefits and associated risks over the life of the product (not just the project). This picture will be changing through the course of the project as costs are committed, changes are made and opportunities or threats impact on progress. The business case is therefore re-assessed at each stage boundary.
Outputs of projects are used to deliver some form of change into the customer organisation. Outcomes are the results of these changes which may (or may not) result in benefits. It isthe delivery of these benefits which, in general, is the purpose of a project.
The organisation should measure whether or not benefits are delivered from its projects (its investments). PRINCE2 suggests that a Benefits Review Plan is created, setting out the predicted pattern of benefits delivery in the future and arranging for the monitoring anfd measurement of these benefits.
