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Business & Workplace Languagenoun · /ˈbɪznəs keɪs/

business case

In simple English

In tech companies, a business case is a critical tool for project approval and resource allocation. It answers the question: 'Why should we do this project?' The document typically includes financial projections (ROI, cost savings), strategic alignment with company goals, risk assessment, and timeline estimates. You build or write a business case when proposing new features, infrastructure improvements, hiring decisions, or tool migrations. It is commonly required before leadership approves significant budget or engineering resource commitments. Without a strong business case, even technically sound ideas may not receive funding or team support.

Understanding what a business case is and how to write one to justify projects and investments at work.

At a glanceCEFR B2
Commonness5/5
Versatility4/5
FormalityCasualFormalFormal
Spoken ↔ WrittenSpokenWrittenBoth
Directness ↔ DiplomaticDirectDiplomaticNeutral
RegionUS and UK
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Say it like this

✓We need to build a strong business case for this.
✓What is the business case for migrating to the cloud?
✓The business case did not justify the investment.
✓Let us make the business case to leadership.

Real examples

in a planning meeting

"Before we invest in that new testing framework, we should develop a business case showing the time savings and maintenance benefits."

in a pitch to executives

"Our business case demonstrates a 40% reduction in deployment time and a payback period of six months."

in an email to stakeholders

"The product team submitted a business case for hiring two additional engineers to support the mobile platform."

in a one-on-one with manager

"I am working on the business case for the API refactoring project; can you review the cost-benefit analysis?"

Don't say this

Handle with care. Do not confuse with legal 'case' — business case is not about lawsuits. It is a justification document, not a container or holder of something.

✕We need to business case this decision.
✓We need to make a business case for this decision.— Business case is a noun; you build, develop, or make a business case rather than using it as a verb directly.
✕The business case was good, so we rejected it.
✓The business case was weak, so we rejected it.— Weak business cases lead to rejection; strong cases lead to approval. Words like strong or weak are typically used, not good or bad.
✕A business case is a legal document about a lawsuit.
✓A business case is a document justifying an investment or project, not a legal case.— Business case refers to project justification, not law. This is a common confusion with the word case.

Other forms

noun (singular)

business case

"The business case for the project was convincing."

noun (plural)

business cases

"We reviewed three business cases before selecting the best initiative."

noun modifier

business case [+ noun]

"The business case analysis showed a positive return on investment."

Often used with

build/develop/make a business caseThese verbs are used with business case to mean creating or constructing the justification.
strong/weak/compelling business caseAdjectives that describe the quality and persuasiveness of the business case.
business case for [project/decision]Used with preposition for to show what is being justified: business case for cloud migration.
approve/reject a business caseLeadership or stakeholders approve or reject business cases to decide on resource allocation.
submit/present a business caseUsed when proposing or formally sharing the business case with decision-makers.

Similar words

proposalBroader term; a proposal may or may not include financial justification like a business case does.
justificationMore general; business case is a specific, formal type of justification with structured analysis.
ROI analysisFocuses on financial return; business case includes ROI but also covers risks, strategy, and timeline.

Opposites

rejectionobjectionbarrier

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Practice

Try it

4 quick exercises

Pick the most natural phrasing

1. You want to propose a new tool. What do you say to your manager?

Complete the sentence

2. Leadership rejected our proposal because the _______ was not strong enough.

Spot the mistake

3. Which sentence uses business case correctly?

Rewrite naturally

4. Rewrite using 'business case': 'We need to explain why this project is worth the money and time before we can start it.'

Questions

Quick poll

Have you said "business case" in a standup this week?

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