Business Justification

It is important for an organization to perform a proper business justification and create a viable Project Vision Statement prior to starting any project. This helps key decision makers understand the business need for a change or for a new product or service and the justification for moving forward with a project. It also helps the Product Owner to create a Prioritized Product Backlog along with the business expectations of senior management and business stakeholder(s).

Business justification in Scrum is based on the concept of value-driven delivery. One of the key characteristics of any project is the uncertainty of results or outcomes. It is impossible to guarantee project success at completion, irrespective of the size or complexity of a project. Considering this uncertainty of achieving success, it is therefore important to start delivering results as early in the project as possible. This early delivery of results, and thereby value, provides an opportunity for reinvestment and proves the worth of the project to interested business stakeholders.

Business justification demonstrates the reasons for undertaking a project. It answers the question “Why is this project needed?” Business justification drives all decision making related to a project. So, it is important to assess the viability and achievability of a project not only before committing to significant expenditures or investment at initial stages of the project but also to verify the business justification for continuance throughout the project’s lifecycle.

Scrum's adaptability allows the project's objectives and processes to change if its business justification changes. It is important to note that although the Product Owner is primarily responsible for business justification, other team members contribute significantly.