Many projects lose alignment after kick-off. Scope shifts, benefit fade, and decision drift often stem from one overlooked cause: no one’s looking back at the business case. When it’s used well, it keeps delivery connected to intent.
A solid business case is how most organisations secure project funding. But once a project gets the green light, that all-important document is often filed away. It’s meant to stay central to decision-making but in practice, it’s rarely referenced.
That’s when things start to shift. Not because the project is off track, but because progress is being made. New information comes to light. Decisions are made. And slowly, the work starts to move away from the original intent.
The business case isn’t ceremonial – it’s meant to guide delivery. It doesn’t need to change every week, but it does need to stay visible. When the project hits a fork in the road – when major decisions are needed, trade-offs, risks or tough calls arise – the business case should be the first place people look. If it’s gathering dust, the benefits probably will too.
Treating the business case as a fixed point isn’t about resisting change. It’s about using it to navigate change. Think of it as a compass, not a rulebook. If a decision can’t be justified in the context of the original business case, it deserves scrutiny. And if something significant shifts – a market shock, new regulation, a black swan event – fine. Revisit it. Reframe the rationale.
Just don’t pretend it never existed.
Who owns the business case?
Too often, once execution begins, no one really owns the business case. Project managers focus on delivery, while teams aim to hit milestones. Meanwhile, many sponsors seem to disappear once the business case is signed off and expect to be ‘kept up to date’ once a month by the project manager.
And that’s a problem – because ultimately, the sponsor is accountable for the benefits. That means staying across the business case, not just at the start, but all the way through.
This isn’t about micromanagement. It’s about keeping decisions connected to purpose. Sponsors need to stay engaged – especially when something changes: a variation request, a scope wobble, a shift in the benefits profile.
If the sponsor steps back too far, no one else is positioned to realign things. As much as the project manager might try, they often don’t have the weight of positional authority like a sponsor does when facing cross-departmental challenges. That’s when projects become mechanical – full of motion, but not meaning. It’s also when the business case becomes irrelevant, even though it’s supposed to be the foundation.
Strong sponsors own the outcomes, not just the role. They don’t wait for a monthly update to ask the hard questions; they’re close enough to see issues before they escalate. And when they’re not, the consequences are real.
We were recently called in to help course-correct a project that started life with a clear business case – focused, benefit-led and aligned to strategy. But six months in, the delivery team had made a series of scope compromises. Each one felt minor at the time.
The sponsor, mostly hands-off, wasn’t aware of how far the work had strayed from the original objectives. By the time the misalignment was clear, millions had been spent and the expected benefits had all but disappeared. No one had referred back to the business case – and no one had noticed how far off course they’d drifted.
Keeping the business case in play
The business case should come off the shelf regularly: at governance checkpoints, during scope conversations and when benefit forecasts are reassessed. Not because it needs rewriting, but because it needs reaffirming.
Too many projects treat the business case as a one-and-done artifact. But when no one looks back at it, key decisions start getting made in isolation. It’s not always a dramatic derailment – often, it happens through a series of small choices: a compromise here, a shortcut there. Over time, the link between effort and value erodes.
That erosion costs money. It also undermines confidence and trust in the process. Worst of all, it undermines the very reason the project was approved in the first place.
A business case isn’t sacred, but it is essential. It should be used to test decisions, challenge assumptions and – when necessary – course correct. Projects that keep the business case front of mind are better equipped to stay aligned, stay efficient and deliver what they promised.
So keep it visible. Keep it relevant. And most of all, keep using it.
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