Effectively designing and embedding measurable results in a project business case

Abstract

This article discusses the project domain framework (PDF), a tool developed to provide a systematic and structured approach to documenting a conceived idea into a project business case. It was motivated by challenges that project champions encounter when developing a business case as identified in literature and practically observed during consultancy assignments. The PDF comprise of three tools; the project domain map (PDmap), used to systematically identify key statements of a project concept and which are then populated in a matrix called the PDmat. Based on the PDguide, the statements are then systematically and logically used in writing a business case narrative. As long as a client's need culminates in establishing or improving a service, the PDF is useful in three ways: provides an easy entry point for initiating projects; allows the inclusion a mechanism for measuring project results; and guides the systematic writing of project statements that are logically linked to form a well-articulated narrative of a business case.