Projects are a solution to a problem, need or opportunity. How well the project can potentially yield benefits depends on how well we understand that need. A project deployed on a fanciful or ill-conceived basis may deliver something – but it may not be valued, appreciated or even wanted. This is a common definition of project failure and one that can create tremendous waste.
Every project needs a business case for the financial justification of its investment. This business case depends on a clear and deep understanding of the underlying need that the project’s results will fulfil. This is where the practices of Business Analysis, needs analysis, and solution design play a significant role in defining the business case.
Without a strong basis, any business case might be challenged on its weaknesses and cause risks to the project's success. Stakeholders will bring their needs into the equation later, and the project leader may face existential challenges. This is a common source of project pain.
Project pain is the earliest sign of misalignment that a project leader must deal with. Knowing where and how this arises – knowing project weaknesses – is important to the leader’s control of success factors. Pain leads to conflict, and the project can be pulled in different directions by different stakeholders.
Ultimately this can become the type of trouble that a project may need to react to with drastic measures. Trouble leads to failure, and this then leads to either project cancellation or to significant rework during a project recovery phase to try and rescue it. Knowing where and how all this arises from the business case is an important part of project leadership.
