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Group Name
Group 3
Instructions
The assignment is to develop Section I: Background and Environmental Analysis, of
the Business Case. Details on this section are in the “Building the Business Case”
document in Content>Course Resources. Format requirements are in the “Group
Instructions” document in Content>Course Resources.
Due on Mar 19, 2024 11:59 PM
Building a Business Case
This document describes the course-long group project to develop a business case
for an information technology (IT) solution that will provide improvements for
your client’s organization (posted separately under Content>Course Overview). It
follows a formal contracting model, as defined by the Federal Acquisition
Regulation, complete with Statement of Work (SOW, Section C) as part of a
client’s Request for Proposal (RFP), and Instructions to Offerors (ITO, Section L)
(as presented in this document). The Evaluation Criteria (Section M) is included
both herein and in the Group Project Instructions, as well as synopsized in the
rubrics. Providing a Bid will also be part of course as an individual assignment.
What is a Business Case?
A business case is a tool used in making business investment decisions, such as:
investing in an IT asset like a new information system, a new network, or
additional storage capacity; entering a new business venture; or discontinuing a
product or service. A business case is a structured proposal that provides the
necessary information regarding how the proposed course of action would
benefit the organization. The developers of a business case have an obligation to
use good information-gathering techniques, perform a thorough analysis, and use
proven financial models to support the recommendations. This strengthens the
credibility of the business case and provides management with the information
they need to make an appropriate, objective decision.
The scope of the information requires significant effort on the project team’s part.
However, a strong business case provides decision-makers with the exact
information they need to make an educated, well-informed decision. Without this
level of effort, senior management may lack sufficient information and therefore
delay making a decision, or in the absence of more complete information,
management may make a poor decision, to include the option of doing nothing . A
poor decision could result in approving a solution that is not in the best interests
of the organization, implementing a system that does not fit into the existing IT
architecture, failing to take advantage of maximum benefits through a more
comprehensive solution, or failing to support a solution that would meet the
defined business need and add value to the organization.
Building a Business Case – 04/30/2023
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Business Case Assignments
A quick web search will reveal a variety of templates for a business case proposal,
and many organizations and agencies have a particular format that is consistently
used within their organization. For this class the below template will be used by
your team. The template is robust but recognizes the timeline of an eight-week
course and therefore provides a balanced product that meets course goals and
provides experience developing each major area of a formally written business
case. With this being said, get your minds into the role of an established group of
IT consultants – from now through the end of this course. Do not refer or use
language that is not business (i.e., assignments, classes, or anything school
related).
Your team will develop each section of the business case iteratively and weekly,
to be submitted according to the class schedule and as shown in green in this
document. Using the outline below, each week team members should read the
weekly assignment and develop the assigned section(s) of this business case
proposal, ensuring that everything called for in each section is included. Sections
should be numbered as shown, with sub-headings used as appropriate, exactly as
provided. Provide an opening statement for each major section that has multiple
parts, explaining the expected flow and contents in the section. Following the
requirements for each section in the instructions below, an approach to
developing the section is included. Additional resources containing explanatory
material are located in the weekly content areas and in the Course Resources
area.
Each week, your team will build on the former week’s work, both adding new
material and addressing all former comments made by your professor. Then, as
both have been addressed and professionally reviewed, submit the entire
business case to-date through the assignment portal, including the Appendices
and References entries as applicable. Only the sections due for the particular
week will be graded, but all outstanding comments will need to be addressed and
cleared. Do not clear the comment until it has been addressed. The entire
business case proposal will be graded at the end of class.
The remainder of this document describes each section of the business case and
provides the requirements and an approach to developing each section. The
grading rubric for each deliverable is provided with the assignment instructions in
the Assignment Folder. Remember, the rubric is a condensed version of the
requirements found in the instructions.
Building a Business Case – 04/30/2023
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Table of Contents
Executive Summary
I.
Background and Environmental Analysis
II.
Problem Analysis
III.
Proposed Solution
IV. Expected Improvements
V.
Alternatives Analysis
VI. Feasibility Analysis
VII. Statements of Requirement
VIII. Context Diagram
IX.
Project Management Plan
X.
Acquisition Strategy
XI.
Risk Management Plan
XII. Security Plan
XIII. Additional Implementation Issues
XIV. Business Performance Measures
XV. Conclusion
References
Appendices
Approach to Developing this Section
Your Table of Contents (TOC) should include three levels of headings (as
applicable), including level one as shown above. All level one headings are left
justified. Learn to use the paragraphing tools shown here:
Roman numerals are left justified and have text spacing of 0.5 inches. This makes
for greater readability as you get to sections III., VIII., and XIII. level 2, which is
A.B.C.; and level 3, which is 1.2.3., will each have text spacing of 0.25 inches, as
you will see in these instructions. All other text indentions are by increment of
0.25 inches. If the styles in the Microsoft Styles Pane do not allow you to modify
the heading for these parameters, develop your own style and name it
accordingly. Your TOC should also be hyperlinked to each heading, and display
Building a Business Case – 04/30/2023
3
page numbers right justified. How your TOC “looks” will be a first indication
during your review cycles that your product is properly formatted with
appropriate capitalization of headings. Learn this in your first week or two, and
you will alleviate headaches for the rest of the course.
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Executive Summary
After the entire business case is finished, develop a one-page (or less) summary as
described above, and include the most important facts for the decision-maker of
this business enterprise.
First impressions are important. Get this right! It deserves its own page.
Following your presentation here, insert a page break (INSERT>BREAK>Page
Break).
Approach to Developing this Section
Read the article on writing an executive summary from the UMGC Library, located
in the Week 8 Content. This section is included in Week 8. The executive
summary is the first section presented in the business case proposal and is the
last written, similar to an abstract for an article. It is a high-level view of the
entire business case document as a proposal. It succinctly conveys vital
information about the project and communicates the entire story in logical order
to the reader, your client. It explains, in plain language and in a condensed form
(1 page or less), the business need that the project is intended to address, the
expected outcome and benefits, and the resources required to complete the
project. The resources include the initial investment cost and the on-going
operational costs. Since most business investment decisions are based on their
returns on investment (ROI), the predicted ROI and a projection of when it
should be achieved are also to be provided here. Because some stakeholders
read only the executive summary, it is important to provide any essential
information required for them to make an informed decision, yet should not
repeat the level of detail contained in the body of your document. The executive
summary should also briefly describe the body of your document, telling the
reader what is contained.
Building a Business Case – 04/30/2023
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Week 1: Title page and Section I. Also, the Appendix and References pages
should be created in Week 1 and submitted even though they will be blank.
They will be there each week and can be updated according to the weekly
assignments.
Provided Outline
I.
Background and Environmental Analysis
Each major heading will follow with their own opening statement. (Opening
roadmap of contents for this major section. “This section provides the
foundation for this business case, including both background and thoughts
on environmental analysis” — sample only). Below is the formatted
template for this section. Make sure you add appropriate line spacing
between each section and subsection.
A. Background
B. Environmental Analysis
1. Business Vision, Strategy, and Objectives
(An opportunity or change in business vision, strategy, and
objectives)
2. Business Processes or Technologies
(Business processes or technologies which are not operating
efficiently or have been rendered obsolete)
3. Competitor Products or Processes
4. New Technology Trends
(New technology trends or opportunities resulting from new
technologies)
5. Commercial or Operational Trends Driving Change
(As in the business or industry)
6. Statutory and Legislative Changes
(As applied to federal and local levels)
Approach to Developing this Section
First, (Notice the proper formatting above with Roman numeral and heading
capitalization and left justified; along with its following text being indented to
vertically align with the heading text. Use this template as your master document
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6
under configuration management practices). Notice also your client is requiring
two separate lines of thought for this section; so, we address them both,
separately, as “A. and B.,” as your second level of headings. This will happen
again throughout this Document. The purpose of this first section is to give a
clear introduction to the business case. It provides the background on the core
aspects of the business and its operation in sufficient detail to set the stage for
the explanation of the problems, opportunities, or changes that will follow. This
section also contains an analysis of the environment within which the business
operates, identifying problems or opportunities in a number of areas, setting the
stage for Section II, where the team will identify one problem or opportunity area
for which a technology solution will be proposed in the business case.
Provide a lead-in thought (immediately below the first level (I.) heading that
opens this and each major section. This will lead your client to follow your
thinking, and how you plan to provide compliance with their instructions.
A. Background (no periods or colons in headings)
This section begins with an introduction to the situation portrayed in the
documented interviews, the Trusty Carpets SOW, with your client also
providing a background on the business as an enterprise and its current
operation. Include the important points, but do not just reiterate the
information in the case study. Follow the heading design with indentions as
shown above. Each heading is presented as a statement. In reality, it is a
question your client needs answered. Answer the question, often using the
same vocabulary as evidenced by your client, to whom you are responding.
B. Environmental Analysis
Conduct some research on industry analysis and trends for the business
described in the SOW, and select those that could impact the business.
Include a description of at least one problem or opportunity in each of the
areas 1. – 6. Provide facts or evidence to support the conclusions drawn above,
using a few sentences with citations and references as appropriate.
NOTE: As a group, use this document as your template. This will give you the
initial structure required. Then delete the instructions and notes, and add your
compliant text for each section as you build this over the eight weeks.
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Week 2: Sections II, III, & IV
II.
Problem (or Opportunity, you choose your approach) Analysis
Begin with your opening statement for this heading. This section describes
the one fundamental business problem or opportunity which the resulting
proposed solution will be required to address. Remember, you are building
a decision proposal for your IT solution. Depending on whether the team has
selected a problem or an opportunity, provide the following information in
Section II:
A. Business Problem Summary (no periods or colons)
(Provide a summary of the core business problem)
1. Description of the Core Issue
2. Reasons Why the Problem Exists
3. How the Problem Aligns to Business Strategy or Vision
4. Elements which Create the Problem
•
Human. (Narrative)
•
Process. (Narrative)
•
Technology. (Narrative)
1. Impact Problem is Having on Business
• Financial.
• Cultural.
• Operational.
2. Timeframe When Problem Must Be Resolved
B. Reason the Problem was Chosen
(…from among those identified in Section I)
OR
A. Business Opportunity Summary
(Describe the business opportunity which has been identified, not a
solution)
1. How the Opportunity was Identified
2. How the Opportunity Aligns to the Business Strategy or Vision
3. Supporting Evidence to Prove Opportunity is Real
4. Timeframe When Opportunity Will Exist
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5. Positive Impact of Opportunity on Business
B. Reason the Opportunity was Chosen
(…from among those identified in Section I)
Approach to Developing this Section
• As the team examines the problems and opportunities identified in Section I, it
should focus on which problems or opportunities are most important to the
business as a new enterprise and should be addressed first.
• Select one problem or opportunity area (or, two or three closely related
problem or opportunity areas that lend themselves to a single solution).
• Open this section, as with all sections, with a thought that directs your client’s
thinking so they know where you are going, providing a brief “roadmap” of
what to expect in this major section.
• Since the business case is being developed to support an IT solution, the
problem or opportunity must be appropriate to an IT solution.
• Describe the business problem or opportunity which the resulting project will
directly address.
• The level two instructions have been converted to formal level two headings
(A., B.).
• Note: this is a discussion of the problem or opportunity, and no solutions
should be identified or discussed yet (that will come in the next section of the
business case.
III. Proposed Solution
This section provides a one-paragraph high level description of the solution.
The solution must include a commercial software product. The product
name, a brief description, and essential information to support the
expected improvements across the enterprise in Section IV should be
included.
Approach to Developing this Section
• Research solutions appropriate to the business problem or opportunity
identified and the type of business exemplified by your client.
• Team members should research, identify and select an appropriate
commercial software product. There are a wide variety of same industry-
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specific software solutions available for your client’s new small business
enterprise.
• The team should also decide on the type of implementation – will the software
be installed and maintained on premise (on site) or will be a hosted solution be
used? Make the statement of your decision.
• Each member of the team will use this software solution to develop their
individual in-depth enterprise Technical Solution, to be submitted separately
according to the class schedule.
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IV.
Expected Improvements
The purpose of this section is to explain why the project is needed. It
should address the following:
A. How the Proposed Solution Addresses the Problem
(…from Section II) or
How the Proposed Solution is Advantaged by the Business Opportunity
(from Section II)
B. How the Proposed Solution Aligns with Business Strategy or Objectives
C. How the Solution Benefits the Organization
(Using the following categorizations, identify several benefits in each area:)
1. Financial Benefits
• (Use bullets for each benefit)
2. Non- Financial Benefits
• (Use bullets for each benefit)
D. Other Value the Solution Might Gain for the Organization
Approach to Developing this Section
• Open your section with a road-map thought that covers what you will be
providing.
• Then develop a clear and concise explanation of how the proposed solution
(from Section III) directly addresses the problem or opportunity identified in
Section II.
• Then, review the scenario to explain how the proposed solution aligns with the
business strategy. The team may need to infer business strategies from the
information presented about the direction in which the business is headed.
• The level two and three formal headings (A., B….1., 2.) require proper heading
capitalization. Use these as stated. There are several ways to categorize
benefits (other than just financial or non-financial benefits, but you must be
compliant and logical). The Week 2 readings provide some insights into
strategic alignment and business benefits.
• Create a list of benefits that the business can expect to achieve from
implementing the proposed solution across this new enterprise, then parse
them into the C-D areas as appropriate. Include also benefits that address all
employees.
• Determine which categorization is most appropriate to the benefits listed.
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• Then, categorize and explain in a sentence or two each of the benefits that
have been identified.
• If there are other ways that the organization would obtain value from
implementing the system, those should also be discussed.
• One way to present the benefits is in a table, with a lead in sentence to the
section, but still ensure your formatting and data are both compliant. If you
use a table, Include a following Table #. Table Name, along with the value of
having a table “with both financial and non-financial benefits” (sample only).
Week 3 Group Assignment: Sections V & VI
V.
Alternatives Analysis
Develop an opening thought for this section, addressing the four
alternatives and the other contents of this section. The team will then have
four possible ways of dealing with the problem or opportunity:
A. Status Quo
1. Solution Description
2. Major Benefits the Solution Provides Against the Problems
3. Major Cost Elements and Total Estimated Cost
4. Feasibility of the Solution
(Follow the instructions below for each of these six subsections)
5. Top Three Risks
6. Major defining Issues
B. The Proposed Solution
C. A Different IT Solution
D. A Change of Processes
E. Comparison of Alternatives
F. Justification for Proposed System
The purpose of this section is to list and describe several alternative ways of
solving the problem or taking advantage of the opportunity identified,
compare it to the proposed solution, and explain why the solution being
proposed is the best of the alternatives listed. The section should begin
with a brief opening statement and section introduction. The required
section formatting is provided above.
Building a Business Case – 04/30/2023
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Note: The use of the term “alternative” means an “option” for meeting the
defined need. Alternatives are not presented so that, in case the proposed
solution is not approved or does not work, the stakeholders can just choose
another of the listed alternatives.)
Approach to Developing this Section
An organization has the option of doing nothing – that is, maintaining the status
quo. The system solution the team is proposing is one of several ways to address
the problem or opportunity. It will be included as one of the “alternatives”
considered. Then, the team should come up with two other ways to address the
problem/opportunity – one will involve a different IT solution, and the other will
be a change to the business processes without using any additional IT capability.
Each of these four solutions will be described, compared and contrasted as
described below. First, for each of the four possible solutions (Notice there are
six subsections to be addressed. Do not change your client’s wording and
recognize heading capitalization), provide:
1. Solution Description
2. Major Benefits the Solution Provides Against the Problems
(Describe the major benefits and the extent to which it solves the problems
identified in Section II)
3. Major Cost Elements and Total Estimated Cost
(Identify the major cost elements and provide an estimated cost for the
solution. Follow the logical order in your bullets)
4. General Feasibility the Solution Provides
(Discuss the general feasibility of the solution, whether or not it is feasible and
the reasoning behind the statements – three elements)
5. Top Three Risks
(Identify the top three risks, such as organizational, financial, IT, or other.
However you lay this out, make sure you standardize your approach across all
four of your alternatives)
6. Major Defining Issues
(Describe the major defining issues – things that would make it a less desirable
solution than the proposed solution, or, in the case of the proposed solution,
why it is the best alternative in general. Keep your bullets in logical order)
Comparison of Alternatives (Section E.)
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Next, compare the four alternatives in the same A., B., C., D. order, using the
following table and drawing the positive and negative aspects from the
descriptions above. Provide a brief introduction for the table, and a label
following (Notice the alignment of the table)
Positive Aspects
Name of
Alternative
Negative Aspects
Table 1. Title, and value added, here being positive and negative
aspects of each alternative
Justification for Proposed System (Section F.)
The final step is to justify the selection of your proposed enterprise-wide system.
Justify in summary the primary reasons why this option was chosen over each of
the other three options and how it is the best choice to address the business need
identified in Section II. Your justification needs to be compelling.
Read the HHS Feasibility Study and Alternatives Analysis, located in
Content>Course Resources, beginning with section 2.8, to learn about one way
that alternatives are analyzed. The first two alternatives, the status quo and the
proposed system solution, have already been determined. The description of
these two will draw upon information previously presented in your business case.
Do some research to identify another possible IT system solution that would meet
the needs identified and use it for the third alternative. Finally, for the processes
that the proposed system will perform, describe how those processes could be
improved by changing how the processes are performed across the enterprise
without additional IT capability.
• Describe each alternative following the list of areas provided above (1-6).
Building a Business Case – 04/30/2023
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•
•
VI.
Then, summarize the four alternatives for comparison in the table provided
above. Review the description of each alterative and select the positive and
negative aspects and include them in the table (subsection E.).
Finally, explain and justify (subsection “F.”) why the system being proposed is
better than each one of the other three alternatives presented.
Feasibility Analysis
Open with a statement of direction for this section, similar to each of your
other major sections. The purpose of this section is to explain the readiness
of the organization and its ability to implement and benefit from the
proposed solution. Following your opening, you should begin with a brief
introduction. Then, you will assess the economic and financial,
organizational and operational, and technical feasibility of the proposed
solution, and express the likelihood of success for the proposed solution.
Each of the following areas should be addressed in paragraph form. Yet,
follow the logical progression and visibility of your format given below
addressing all the required information. Remember to add the line spacing
between each thought and subsection:
A. Economic and Financial Feasibility
1. Current Economic Environment
(In what economic environment is the business currently operating?)
2. Financial Capability
(Is the proposed project within the financial capability of the
organization?)
3. Length of Time to Recover Costs in Implementation
(How long should it be until the business starts recovering the costs
of implementation through increased efficiencies, increased profits,
and reduced costs?)
B. Organizational and Operational Feasibility
1. How Solution Will Resolve Problem
(How well does the proposed system solve the problem(s), or take
advantage of the opportunity identified?)
2. Integration into the Existing Business Processes
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(How easily can the proposed system be integrated into the existing
business processes?)
3. Additional Staffing
(Is there a need for additional staffing?)
4. Reduction in Staffing
(Will staffing be reduced, and if so, how will that likely impact the
organization?)
5. Reorganization Requirements
(Will a reorganization of the staff be required?)
6. Retraining Feasibility
(Is retraining feasible?)
C. Technical Feasibility
1. Assurance System Will Perform Functionally
(What assurance is there that the proposed system will perform the
expected functions?)
2. Compatibility with Current Technology and Architecture
(How will the proposed system fit with other IT already in use; does it
fit into the current IT architecture?)
3. Difficulties with Implementation
(How difficult will it be to implement the solution in the
organization?)
4. Difficulties for Employees to Learn New System
(How difficult will the technology be for the employees to learn to
use?)
5. Difficulties in Managing the System
(How difficult will it be for the organization to manage the proposed
solution?)
Approach to Developing this Section
•
•
•
Read Sue Conger’s introduction to feasibility analysis located under
Content>Course Resources>Feasibility Study.
Also, read section 2.7 of the HHS Feasibility Study and Alternatives Analysis,
located in Content>Course Resources.
Develop a paragraph or two for each area of feasibility, as outlined above
incorporating responses to each of the questions asked.
Building a Business Case – 04/30/2023
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•
Include a convincing argument for the likelihood of success of the proposed
enterprise solution.
NOTE: There is no group assignment due in Week 4. However, it will be
important for the group member to check in to review the instructor’s former
week’s comments, as well as planning ahead for Week 5.
Remember, all formatting for your individual assignment will require the same
formatting as you have developed for your group work. You have the same
client for both.
Week 5 Group Assignment: Sections VII and VIII
VII.
Statements of Requirement
Begin with your opening statement of what this section will cover, why, and
how this section will be organized. The purpose of this section is to
document some of the requirements for the proposed system. The
requirements communicate what the system is expected to do and how it is
to perform. These are critically developed for the design and test
engineers, where they must ensure each matching capability is enabled
and within the stated time line. For purposes of this business case, the
requirements statements will include five (5) requirements, each one
stated as one complete sentence, for each of the following areas:
A. Functional Requirements
Five requirement statements that tell what the system must do.
B. Data Requirements
Five requirement statements for handling input, output and storage of
data.
C. Technical Requirements
Five requirement statements setting out the system performance
specifications.
D. Security Requirements
Five requirement statements covering various aspects of system, data,
and transaction security.
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The result will be a list of 20 requirements statements, separated into the
categories above.
Approach to Developing this Section
• To gain an understanding of what constitutes well written requirements, read
the “Writing Good Requirements” (and the other readings) provided in the
Course Content. It explains the correct way to write a requirement
statement; your requirements must follow the guidelines presented there.
• Remember that a requirement statement is a single sentence that addresses
each of the SMART elements: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, &
Time-Bound. To not include one of these elements makes your statement
non-compliant. This is critical, in that the receiving engineers must develop a
test plan (TP). The TP (which we will not develop here) must ensure each
element of the statement passes. Without these elements, the contracted
engineers are only required to supply a system as it has been defined. Protect
your client by addressing these specifics.
• The area that requires the most careful consideration is determining into
which category the requirement should be placed. Almost all requirements
are “functional” – but those which have to do with security or system
performance or directly with data should be put into those
categories. “Functional” has to do what the system processing needs to do
for the user. Please observe logical order, here and throughout your proposal.
• Use information from your client to develop the functional and data
requirements. Technical and security requirements may come from team
members’ previous experience or learning, or from research. Each
requirement must specifically tie to the given information and the proposed
solution. Five well-written requirements are to be developed for each
category: functional, data, technical and security requirements, for a total of
20 requirements.
• Although it is beyond the scope of this proposal, requirements traceability
through the system development process in normally also part of the
requirement. However, we do not have the time to include it here.
•
In a total list of requirements for a system, there would also be many more
requirements than this, but listing the 20 requirements statements is enough
to demonstrate the ability to identify and write requirements in these various
categories.
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VIII. Context Diagram
Develop your opening statement for this major section. The purpose of this
section is to provide a context diagram to illustrate how the proposed
system “touches” the various enterprise types of system functions,
addressing the business need. The context diagram supplements the
Section VII. Statement of Requirements, in order to further illustrate the
system requirements and solution.
Since this diagram will be placed in the Appendix, this section should
include a brief stand-alone explanation of the diagram and make reference
to it. Make sure that your language supports how the system supports and
interacts with each business function. This is not about the business
functions; it is about revealing how the solution will visually be seen by
your client, propelling them toward accepting your proposal. If you break
out your narrative into two main thoughts, ensure you follow the
formatting for A. and B., keeping each sub-section independent from the
other.
The diagram must show the solution in the center, with boundaries or
scope of the proposed solution, the functions involved, and the data that
flows between the system and the functions. Each type of system user
should be included among these functions.
Approach to Developing this Section
• In all candor, this is an excellent sales diagram that reveals how the soluti
