A mandatory project has no financial return. How do we justify it?
Incomplete investment criteriaA project can be necessary for obligations, continuity, or risk reduction without producing direct revenue. Define the requirement and compare proportionate options for meeting it rather than inventing financial benefits.
What to do now
- Confirm the actual obligation with its owner
- Define the minimum acceptable outcome
- Compare feasible implementation options
- Track compliance or resilience evidence
When to escalate
Escalate when
The claimed obligation is unclear or the chosen scope exceeds what is justified.
Who decides
The accountable sponsor
Example
A records-retention change is evaluated on verified requirements, implementation effort, and operational impact.
Mistake to avoid
Fabricating savings to make a necessary project look commercially attractive.
Prevent a repeat
At each stage decision, check that the expected outcome, owner and justification remain valid.
Suggested ApprovedFlow setup
- Projects
- Documents
- Approvals
Keep the decision brief with the project and request a recorded sponsor decision before the next commitment. See the platform
Related cases
- The business case is already outdated before kickoff. What should happen?Stale investment rationale
- Our business case assumes savings that nobody can explain. Should we accept it?Unsupported benefit assumptions
- What financial checks belong in project closure?Incomplete financial closeout
- The team forgot recurring software and support costs. How do we correct the business case?Missing lifecycle costs