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PCR

Project governance

Business Justification

Keep the project worth doing from first idea through closure.

What this helps you do

Decide whether the project still deserves time, funding, and attention.

Use this when

  • Starting a project
  • Preparing a stage boundary
  • Handling material change

What good looks like

  • Benefits have named owners
  • Costs and risks are visible
  • The sponsor has a clear decision

Minimum viable version

  • One-page business case lite
  • Benefit owner
  • Decision recommendation

Stronger version

  • Options appraisal
  • Sensitivity view
  • Benefit confidence trend

Step-by-step

  1. State the reason
  2. Compare options
  3. Name benefits
  4. Check affordability
  5. Ask for a decision

Inputs needed

  • Project brief
  • Cost/time estimates
  • Risk view

Outputs produced

  • Business case lite
  • Decision log entry

Common mistakes

  • Treating the business case as a start-up document only
  • Benefits without owners

Tailoring notes

  • Use ranges early
  • Increase evidence standard for high-public-value projects

Related templates

business-case-lite, benefits-profile

Related tools

Tailoring Recommender, Project Health Check

PRINCE2 mapping

Maps to the PRINCE2 principle of continued business justification and the business case practice.