Business Case–Name of project (PPO-xxxx)

To[JC1] fill out this form:

  • Content in italics provides direction on the type of information being requested and some examples, and should be replaced with non-italic text.
  • Content not in italics must be included and completed.
  • Bullet lists, numbered lists, and tables are welcome as ways of providing the information.
  • Please update the file name in the footer of this document by right-clicking on it and choosing “Update Field”.

Identifying Information

Business Case Author:Name of person who wrote the Business Case

Service Owner:Person who owns (or will own) the service the Business Case relates to

Project Sponsor:Person who would be sponsoring the project

Project Manager:Name of Project Manager, if known

Business Owner /Client:Unit/Department/Faculty whose business need the project satisfies

Vendor/Consultant:Remove if no vendor, consultant or external professional services involved

Presentation Date:Date Business Case will be reviewed by BCRT, if known

ExecutiveSummary

This information will be the same as in the Project Proposal unless discovery while building out the Business Case has provided new information[JC2].

PART A: Problem / Opportunity Identification

Briefly describe[JC3] the current state and strategic drivers leading to this business case. What opportunities does this project present?

Does this initiative overlap[JC4] or duplicate with existing offerings? Yes/No(choose one response, delete other)

If yes, please identify:

Service Name / Service Owner / Level of Duplication (H, M, L) / Positive or Negative Overlap (P, N)

Who are the affected stakeholders (internal/external) and what are the impacts?

Objectives, Anticipated Benefits & Strategic Alignment

What are the project’s objectives and benefits[JC5]? This information will be the same as in the Project Proposal unless discovery while building out the Business Case has provided new information.

Objective/Benefit / Level of Impact (H, M, L) / Aligns with which ITS strategy or Q’s strategic driver?

ITS is implementing a "cloud first" strategy to explore and take advantage of cloud services whenever appropriate to meet the university's needs while satisfying security, control, budget and other constraints.Are you considering cloud options?Yes/No(choose one response, delete other) If the answer is no, why?

Is there any anticipated cost containment/savings if this project is completed? Yes/No(choose one response, delete other) If so, include in the table above.

The breadth of benefit expected from this project is:(select one and delete remainder of list)

One client/department

Several departments

Enterprise benefits

Other (e.g. joint project with other universities – please specify)

External Factors

Are the dependencies and integration points required to complete this project already in place (these could include software, hardware, database, authentication, etc)? Yes/No(choose one response, delete other)

If no, please identify:

What are the required dependencies/integration points? / Is there a version requirement? (if yes, specify) / Likelihood of being in place in time for project (H, M, L)

Are there other external factors that impact this initiative? Factors to consider include regulatory compliance requirements, vendor issues (e.g. product end-of-life), compatibility with other techologies/services, etc. Yes/No(choose one response, delete other)

If yes, please identify:

What is the external factor? / Level of Impact (H, M, L)

From a change management perspective, what is the expected level of impact to users of the new system/service? High/Medium/Low(choose one response, delete others)

Methodology

Please describe[JC6] the methodology used to prepare the business case (root cause analysis, SWOT analysis, environmental scan, gap analysis, one on one interviews, decision matrices etc.)

Alternatives Considered

This section describes the alternatives[JC7] that were explored during the Business Case investigation in order to meet the project’s objectives.

The result of this investigation will lead to the recommendation of one of these alternatives in order to complete the project. There may be greater or fewer than three alternatives [JC8]considered.

a.Status Quo – [provide brief descriptor/name]

Describe current state;

Describe pros and cons of status quo;

Describe risks of choosing and not choosing this solution;

Describe total resources necessary (staffing + budget) (project + ongoing) to implement this solution

b.Alternative 1 – [provide brief descriptor/name]

Describe solution;

Describe pros and cons of this solution;

Describe risks of choosing and not choosing this solution;

Describe total resources necessary (staffing + budget) (project + ongoing) to implement this solution

c.Alternative 2 – [provide brief descriptor/name]

Describe solution;

Describe pros and cons of this solution;

Describe risks of choosing and not choosing this solution;

Describe total resources necessary (staffing + budget) (project + ongoing) to implement this solution

PART B: Recommended Solution

Identify which of the alternatives outlined above is the recommended solution for the project, and why.

ProjectScope

This information should be based on the recommended solution.

a.Scope

What is in scope for this project? What is out of scope?

b.Deliverables

What are the high level deliverables that will be implemented with the recommended solution? A deliverable is a tangible and measurable result, outcome, or item that must be produced to complete a project (e.g. “Create an AD file share for each department at Queen’s”).

c.Milestones

  • Based on the deliverables and scope defined above, please use the following table to identify the major milestones[JC9] for this project that represent progress at 1-3 month intervals. Timeline can be expressed in duration relative to the start of the project, e.g. Milestone 1 = Week 1, Milestone 3 = Week 12.

Milestone / Timeline

Do the key milestones on this project have dependencies on other projects (e.g. Project X must be completed for this project to meeting specific milestones)? Yes/No(choose one response, delete other)

If yes, please identify:

Milestone Impacted / Dependency / Level of Impact (H, M, L)

d.Assumptions and Constraints

What are the assumptions[JC10] for this project?

What are the constraints[JC11] for this project?

Organizational Impact

Describe how the proposed project will modify or affect the organizational processes, resources, tools and hardware/software.

Project Privacy and Security Assessment

This section describes the privacy and security factors that need to be addressed.

a.Authorization to Operate

All projects must follow the Authorization to Operate process regardless of size or whether the solution is on-premise or a “cloud”/Software as a Service (SaaS) service or application.

b.Authentication

Central authorization and authentication services (CAAS) isa requirement to implement any solution.What is known about the authentication method? (Common Sign-On? Single Sign-On? Shibboleth? Other?)

c.Preliminary Data Requirements

The Information Security Officer (ISO) and Privacy Officer will schedule a meeting to discuss responses to the following questions.

  • What data will be used?
  • Why is the data being used?
  • Where is the data coming from?

Data Element / Data Classification / Purpose / Data Steward
e.g. / First Name
Last Name / Personal / Identify member user accessing the system / HR
1.
2.

Timeline

What is the anticipated timeline for the start and completion of the project? (if known)

Are there dependencies before it can begin or when it must end?

Are there expected impacts on users against other initiatives occuring over the same timeline? Yes/No(choose one response, delete other)

If yes, please identify:

What is the initiative(s)? / Level of Impact (H, M, L)

Are there any business cycle dates/timelines that should be considered in assessing the proposed schedule (e.g. year-end, admissions cycle, etc)? Yes/No(choose one response, delete other)

If yes, please identify:

What is the date/timeline? / Level of Impact (H, M, L)

Preliminary Resource Requirements

Please use the Project Budget Worksheettemplate and Project Management Responsibilities Matrixavailable from PPO and submit with the Business Case.

a.BC – Project Staffing Timeline

What resources[JC12] are required to complete the project by implementing the recommended solution? It is incumbent upon the person completing the Business Case to consult with the impacted Resource Managers to identify resources for team membership and their availability in principle (in-kind) or whether back-fill will be required (billed).

Resource Manager / Date Consulted

b.BC – Project Budget

What hard costs [JC13]are associated with completing the project by implementing the recommended solution?

c.BC – Operational Costs

Solution and Vendor Costs

Are there any hard costs [JC14]associated with ongoing operations once the recommended solution is implemented?

Internal StaffingFTE %

What staffing resources [JC15]will be required to sustain the recommended solution once the project is complete?

Project Risk Assessment

What are the risks[JC16] associated with this initiative? These include both the risks of going forward and of not going forward with the project. Please use the Risk Register templateavailable on the CIO website and submit with the Business Case.

Return on Investment

Compare benefits against project and sustainment costs and provide a payback period[JC17].Depending on the benefits listed, you may want to provide Total Cost of Ownership[JC18]figures.

Governance

This information will be the same as in the Project Proposal unless discovery while building out the Business Case has provided new information. List the groups responsible for project governance and their membership.

Approvals

Approval by the person(s) / groups listed below indicates an understanding of the purpose and content of this document and an agreement of the business need and proposed project outlined. This approval indicates an acknowledgement to proceed to the next step of the PPO’s project intake process.

Business Case Review Team

Date: /

Administrative Systems Steering Committee

Date:

Revision History

Change Made By / Date Change Made / Details of Change / Change Reviewed By / Date Change Reviewed

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ROBERTA Scoring (Completed by Business Case Review Team)

  • All questions will receive a score of 0-3:
  • 3=High
  • 2=Medium
  • 1=Low
  • 0=Information to score not available
  • The higher the score, the higher the degree of confidence that the project should be approved
  • The threshold for the ITS Business Case Review Team/ASOWG to approve a project for Associate Director/ASSC review is 60

REF / AREA / SCORE (0-3) / QUESTIONS
1. / Risk / Risk of Not Proceeding - What is the overall degree of risk associated with not proceeding with this project?
2. / Risk Identification - What is the level of confidence that known project risks have been identified in alignment with Queen’s Enterprise Risk Management Framework?
3. / Risk Management - What is the level of confidence that the correct level of expertise exists to provide appropriate project risk oversight and management?
4. / Opportunity / Enterprise versus Local Solution - To what degree does this project enhance enterprise versus local solutions?
5. / Joint Cooperation/Multiple Business Units - To what degree does this project foster joint business unit cooperation and collaboration?
6. / Alignment with Systems Architecture - To what degree does the project align with Campus IT Architecture guidelines?
7. / Response to Significant User Demand - To what degree does this project help address existing business unit and user demand?
8. / Benefit / Functionality and Productivity Improvements - To what degree does this project improve systems functionality and/or operational efficiencies?
9. / Cost Savings - To what degree does this project generate cost savings for the University?
10. / Supports Enterprise versus Edge/Shadow Systems - To what degree does this project enhance enterprise solutions and enterprise support?
11. / External Factors / Required By External Agency/Service Providers – To what degree are requirements by external agencies or system/service providers a major catalyst for this project?
12. / Required to Remain Compatible with Support Technology–To what degree is this project required to remain compatible with current and supported technologies?
13. / Other Project Dependencies–What is the level of confidence that other project dependencies will be met?
14. / Resources / Project Budget Requirements–How thoroughly are the total project budget requirements detailed in the business plan?
15. / Project Staffing Requirements–How thoroughly are the internal and external project staffing requirements detailed in the business plan (with backfill identified if required)?
16. / Annual Support Requirements – How thoroughly are the ongoing annual staffing and operating budget requirements detailed in the business plan?
17. / Timeline / Project Timeline Compatibility–What is the level of confidence that the proposed project timeline is compatible with business cycle requirements?
18. / Project Timeline Professional Services/Vendor Confidence–What is the level of confidence that the proposed project timeline can be met with the identified professional services/vendor if this project is approved?(If there is no vendor, assign a score of 3 to this question.)
19. / Alignment / Project Alignment with ITServices Strategic Plan - Does this project align with and support the ITServices Strategic Plan?
20. / Project Alignment with Queen’s University Plans - Does this project align with and support Queen’s Strategic Framework?

Comments

Scoring

Open the ROBERTA scoring template linked below and enter the values from the table above to calculate a weighted ROBERTA score.

What is the weighted ROBERTA score for this Project Proposal? (score out of 100)

Recommendation

Is this Business Case approved forASSC review? (threshold for approval is a score of 60)

If no, what requests for change are being made by the Business Case Review Team?

Date:______

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[JC1]This document is required in order to have an ASSC governed project approved. Its purpose is to provide sufficient information to the PPO and Business unit resource managers in order for them to prioritize and approve the resources necessary to complete the project within a specified period of time. The Business Case should contain sufficient information in order for the Business Case Review Team to be able to complete the ROBERTA scoring appended to the end of the Business Case.

[JC2]Provide an overview of the business need, anticipated outcomes, and the recommended project to address that need with costs.Include Return on Investment value and Payback period if you have these calculations.

[JC3]Consider:

Moving away from a local to an enterprise solution

Satisfying business requirements of users/stakeholders (i.e. demand for service)

Aligning more closely with recommended/preferred technology solutions (e.g. cloud vs on-premise)

[JC4]This may be a postive or a negative overlape.g. negative: a comparable service already exists so duplicating it may not be of high benefit. Positive: we can leverage work already done on a similar project or an existing service.

[JC5]Use the table below to identify them and to specify how they align with the 13 strategies in the ITS Strategic Planand the four strategic drivers in Queen’s Strategic Framework.

[JC6]Include background material as appendices.

[JC7]Alternatives may come from, for example: different technical approaches to defining a solution; broader and narrower scope/impacts of proposed solution; different ways to deliver the solution (e.g. re-envisioning a service), etc.

[JC8]The information provided in this section should be fairly high level; the use of tables & charts is encouraged with background material provided as an appendix. The remainder of the document will provide more detail regarding the recommended solution.

[JC9]A milestone is a significant event in the course of a project that acts as a marker for progress. Milestones have no duration – they represent a moment in time. Examples of milestones include start/completion of project phases, significant activities or deliverables.

[JC10]e.g. changing our telephony service will not require end users to change their phone extensions

[JC11]e.g. the licensing costs for the chosen solution cannot exceed $100,000 per year

[JC12]Identify core project team members (i.e. resources who will be involved for the duration of the project) and occasional team members (resources who will have limited participation/limited number of tasks in completing the project), and identify their roles. Estimate the amount of effort required from each in hours. Don’t forget to include the effort required from the Project Manager.

[JC13]These may include costs for hardware, licensing, professional/consultant services, training/communication/change management and post production support. Staffing will be automatically populated by previous tab.

[JC14]These may include hardware costs, licensing costs, or lost revenues (e.g. if the project will provide a service at no or lesser cost than is currently recovered).

[JC15]Please identify rolesand the % of an FTE (full time equivalency) required (e.g. system administrator, 10% FTE)

[JC16]Factors to consider include: budget, staffing, change tolerance, continuity of operations, regulatory compliance, ongoing vendor support, anticipated future costs, security risks, etc.

[JC17]Alternative benefit measurement methods include: Present Value, Net Present Value, Internal rate of return, and cost-benefit analysis.

[JC18]Andy Hooper may have models and supportive information. See Jim Carse’s PeopleSoft modeling based on Gartner’s TCO.