Older but still valid article by Jason Kitcat. Business cases are not a good way to make decisions. They give us false certainty and almost invariably mislead some or all of an organisation’s leadership.
Business cases are lies. Not wilful lies usually, but they end up with the same results: misleading, misinforming and hiding reality.
The ability to observe, orient, decide and act continuously is not the norm when business cases live among us. Let’s unpack our example:
- The Requirements – The idea that we can capture all our requirements and then share them with suppliers to get answers is fantastical, and wrong.
- The Cost – Software should not be a capital expenditure. It is a continuously changing, living thing that needs constant care and maintenance.
- The Time – Building a bridge or a school? Then a fixed timeline (with padding for slippage) makes sense. Trying to change complex systems issues like integrating health and social care? Then a fixed time business case is the wrong tool for the job.
And author notes: I understand that the ‘certainty’ and ‘process’ surrounding business cases can be comforting for colleagues. But we’re fooling ourselves, we need to be courageous and hold the uncertainty as we explore the problems we face in open, collaborative ways. How interesting!
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