DEVELOPING THE BUSINESS CASE-PART TWO

Clients should also set a realistic and reasonable programme in the business case, which is likely to be attractive to the market place and attract competitive prices. The programme should identify all inter-dependencies as soon as possible so that the effects (delay or acceleration) can be identified immediately.

Clients should work on understanding risks, how to handle risks (including their impact on relationships) and their attitude for them before considering risk allocation, risk management and risk registers. Clients' insurers will also have a role in this aspect of a project.

Clients should operate a "live" risk management process which, in larger organizations, is facilitated by risk managers.

Clients should include a project risk register in the business case from an early stage and use it throughout the life of a project. It is widely accepted that effective risk management assists a business to achieve its objectives.

Clients should strive to develop their processes and experience in risk management.

The Client Brief should define what the client needs the project to achieve in order to deliver the success and values identified by the client's vision for the project. The Client Brief should also be anchored by the business case and should set objectives that are clearly within the envelope justified by the business case.

There can be different approaches in formulating the Client Brief. In some cases clients may have business related or functional performance related objectives and they may be open to how these may be realised. It is sometimes seen as an advantage to leave as much as possible open to allow creative or innovative solutions to be developed from those with skills or experience that clients do not posses. In such cases a "performance specification" approach should be taken.

In other cases clients may have a clear vision of how they see the project manifesting itself. They may already have completed similar projects and want many of the features of these incorporated. Then it may be more appropriate for a "detailed design" to be prepared.