Many information technology professionals start working on less formal projects and work their way up to large, complex projects. The first large project any information technology professional works on is an introduction to "Big Information Technology". Processes, governance and standards that were not a necessarily part of previous information technology initiatives become required. When information technology leaders face this discrepancy between what they have learned and what they must learn, there can be rejection, acceptance or excitement. On every strategically important and complex project a business case is mandatory, but as information technology professionals we sometimes think of the business case as the business teams responsibility. However, information technology offers business advantages that information technology professionals can more readily articulate, measure, and forecast. Writing a business case for the first time can be a little intimidating. What is in a business case? What is the purpose or the goal of writing a business case? Do I have enough time to write a business case that will effectively demonstrate the value of the project?Information Technology leaders limited experience with, and knowledge of, business case writing often means that they do not require that business cases are written. A poorly articulated set of project benefits, poorly estimated timeline, or inaccurate budget can lead to serious problems on a project. Forecasting the time, money and people required to complete a project may be difficult, but effective information technology leaders take ownership for their contribution to the business case. All business units struggle to accurately forecast the costs, benefits and required resources to execute projects. A well thought out business case more effectively convinces an organization of the value, and also the need, to execute a project. An effective business case clearly defines the opportunity cost for the initiative, and convinces the reader that the opportunity cost is a smart tradeoff given the benefits of the project. With a persuasive business case in hand, managing the things that go wrong on a project is much more easily done' A business case is the best vehicle to get the buy in needed from all levels of the organization in order to ensure that the project moves forward when facing setbacks. The promise to your internal and external customers is in your business case. Successful customer relationships are based on following through on the promises you make to your customers. Completing the due diligence necessary to write an accurate and convincing business case secures your promise that you do everything possible to ensure that the project will successfully deliver the planned benefits and will be within acceptable timeline and budget variance. Below is a decision matrix to help decide whether a business case is right for your project.