PRINCE2 Foundation

The Business Case records expected dis-benefits which are outcomes perceived as negative by stakeholders. It includes the costs, benefits, dis-benefits (negative outcomes), risks, and timescales of the project, providing a comprehensive assessment to justify and continually evaluate the project's viability. Thus, it is the appropriate document for recording negative outcomes perceived by stakeholders.

A project outcome is the result of the change derived from using the project's outputs. This definition accurately portrays how outcomes reflect the real-world effects or impacts that occur as a consequence of implementing the project's deliverables.

A Benefits Review Plan does not define the period over which the cost-benefit analysis will be based. Instead, a Benefits Review Plan focuses on describing how to measure the performance of the project's products in operational use, defining the scope, timing, and ownership of the benefit reviews required, and describing how to measure and confirm any benefits that are to be realized after the project is closed.

The Business Case is the product that documents the information needed to demonstrate continued business justification. It outlines the reasons for undertaking the project, the expected benefits, the options considered, and the costs. It is used throughout the project lifecycle to assess whether the project remains viable and worthwhile.

A Benefits Review Plan does not define the period over which the cost-benefit analysis will be based. Instead, its main purposes include describing how to measure the performance of the project's products in operational use, defining the scope, timing, and ownership of the benefit reviews required, and describing how to measure and confirm any benefits that are to be realized after the project is closed. The cost-benefit analysis generally falls under the domain of project's business case, not the Benefits Review Plan.