What is the business case for an IT project?

The IT mindset has traditionally been one of entitlement: a budget is provided and a project executed within that budget. The project execution within that constraint is the only completion goal. The project justification is often left to the customer requesting the work. And, even then, it is assumed they know what the solution options are for their problem and can articulate a clear objective.

Let me share with you how this can be counter productive. Let refer to the Ford quote about requirements for the car: If the people were asked about it, they would have said they wanted a faster horse. The people then did not know about the technology for a car. Their perspective was confined to what they knew, the horse as a means of transportation. This is no different for a customer for an IT project. They do not necessarily know all the solution options.

We as IT professionals need to guide them. We need to understand the problem they are attempting to solve so we can help articulate a clear objective and achieve measurable success.
We need to be able to state what it is they will gain from the successful completion of the IT project (even if it means changing the project itself).