# Business Case Template

## Overview

An owner-side business case template for corporate real estate and capital projects that need clear business objectives, financial drivers, operating requirements, success criteria, and executive approval support. It turns a funding request into a structured, reviewable decision package rather than a slide deck built from scratch each time.

## At a Glance

| Field | Summary |
| --- | --- |
| Resource type | Capital approval and business case template |
| Primary use | Funding requests, project authorization, investment prioritization, business-case refreshes |
| Best fit | Capital projects, portfolio investments, workplace transformation, and facilities upgrades requiring executive or investment-committee approval |
| Not intended for | Legal advice, final financial underwriting, tax structuring, or a substitute for formal capital-committee governance |
| Recommended review | Real estate executive, capital governance leader, finance partner, project sponsor |

## Intended Audience

Real estate executives, capital planning and governance leaders, project sponsors, project managers, construction managers, finance partners, workplace leaders, facilities leaders, and business owners preparing a capital request.

## When to Use This Resource

Use this template when a project needs a structured business case to support capital approval, project authorization, investment prioritization, executive review, or a business-case refresh triggered by scope or cost changes.

## 1. Business Need and Strategic Rationale

- Problem statement: what business condition makes this investment necessary (lease expiration, capacity constraint, condition failure, growth, consolidation, compliance).
- Strategic alignment: which corporate or portfolio strategy this supports.
- Consequence of inaction: cost, risk, or disruption if the project is not funded.

## 2. Project Definition

| Field | Entry |
| --- | --- |
| Project type | (new build / renovation / relocation / consolidation / technology / other) |
| Facility use | |
| Business function(s) supported | |
| Location(s) | |
| Sponsor | |
| Requested decision | (approve funding / approve proceed-to-design / approve lease execution) |

## 3. Financial Drivers

- Total estimated cost, with basis of estimate (ROM, budgetary, detailed).
- Funding source and capital category.
- Financial case: payback, NPV, avoided cost, or cost-per-occupant, whichever applies.
- Ongoing operating cost impact (OpEx delta versus current state).
- Contingency and escalation assumptions.

## 4. Operating Requirements and Scope Summary

- Functional and space requirements driving the ask.
- In-scope and explicitly out-of-scope items.
- Dependencies on other projects, vendors, or business decisions.

## 5. Schedule and Business Readiness

- Target decision date and reason (lease deadline, budget cycle, business event).
- High-level milestone dates: approval, design, permit, construction/fit-out, occupancy.
- Business readiness date and what happens if it slips.

## 6. Options Considered and Recommendation

| Option | Description | Cost | Risk | Recommendation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| A | | | | |
| B | | | | |
| C (recommended) | | | | |

- Rationale for the recommended option over the alternatives.

## 7. Risk Profile

- Top 3-5 risks to the business case (cost, schedule, market, operational).
- Mitigation approach for each.

## 8. Success Criteria and Owner Acceptance

- Quantitative success measures (cost, schedule, utilization, satisfaction).
- Owner acceptance criteria for calling the project complete.

## 9. Executive Approval Format

- Requested approval level and authority (project sponsor, capital committee, board).
- Approval record: date, approver, conditions, and any follow-up commitments.

## Using This Template

Complete sections in order for a first pass; sections 3, 6, and 9 typically need finance and governance input before the case is presentation-ready. Keep the recommendation (section 6) to one clearly stated option — a business case that hedges between options rarely gets a fast decision.