Source identity:

ddx:
  id: resource.apm-business-case

APM Business Case Guidance

Source

• URL: https://www.apm.org.uk/resources/what-is-project-management/what-is-a-business-case/
• Accessed: 2026-05-12

Summary

The Association for Project Management describes a business case as the justification for undertaking a project or program. It evaluates benefits, costs, risks, alternative options, investment appraisal, and the rationale for the preferred option. APM also frames the business case through strategic, economic, commercial, financial, and management lenses.

Relevant Findings

• A business case should support a decision about whether investment is justified.
• It should compare expected benefits, costs, risks, and alternatives.
• Investment appraisal and benefits realization need evidence, not only a persuasive narrative.
• The preferred option should be explicit and supported by the analysis.
• The business case should be revisited at decision gates as estimates mature.
• The do-nothing option is a normal baseline for comparison.

HELIX Usage

This resource informs the Business Case artifact. HELIX uses it to keep the business case decision-oriented: investment ask, expected return, risk, strategic fit, alternatives, and recommendation.

Authority Boundary

This resource supports investment justification. It does not replace Product Vision, PRD, or delivery planning artifacts.