Page 151 - ITIL® Foundation 3.15

The Business Case
Business cases are developed by the business relationship manager (see BRM Process), and the product manager.
The BRM looks to understand the customer’s business and the value that the customer will place upon the
achievement of one or more particular
business objectives. This recognition
allows the BRM to look for ways that technology could help the business to achieve that objective.
The Product manager understands the Lines of Service (services) provided by the service provider (IT organization). This information is documented within the service catalog.
By combining the
knowledge possessed by these two roles, a clear understanding of the customer need and willingness to pay to meet that need can be developed and matched to any Line of Service that would meet that need. If no match exists, an opportunity will have been identified where the service provider can increase their value by strategically providing a new service to fulfill the need.
Unfortunately, business cases are often used to get funding approval for projects. Project initiators will identify “compelling” reasons why their project should be funded. These “compelling reasons” should have to do with servicing the customer better, and creating an acceptable return for the service provider. The business case should actually be used to identify “whether or not” a project should be funded. If there will not be an ROI
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