PIM business case template: outline, example rows and a table to copy
This PIM business case template has nine sections: decision requested, problem in numbers, options considered, scope and attribute ownership, five-year total cost of ownership, benefit levers, risks, sequence and plan, and sign-off by five seats. Each section lists what goes in it and example rows. A Markdown table at the end can be copied into any spreadsheet.
How do you use this PIM business case template?
Use this template in order, from decision to sign-off, and fill every field with your own data. The structure follows the PIM business case pillar: Data, then Process, then People, then Tooling. All example rows below are illustrative placeholders.
Three rules apply throughout:
- Every figure has a source: an internal report, a quote or a labelled estimate.
- Every benefit has an owner who accepts the baseline.
- Vendor names stay out until the requirements are validated.
What goes in each section of the PIM business case?
Nine sections cover what an economic buyer needs to decide. Keep sections one and two on the first page, because many readers stop there.
- Decision requested. One paragraph: what you ask for, the budget envelope over five years and the date a decision is needed. Example row: "Approve a PIM selection and a five-year budget envelope, decision by 15 January."
- Problem in numbers. Current baselines: SKUs, new SKUs per year, channels, languages, hours per new SKU, days to market and products with incomplete regulatory data. Example row: "Hours per new SKU across teams: 3.0 (measured over 50 SKUs)."
- Options considered. Do nothing, extend ERP or commerce, build, buy a PIM. One line each on cost profile and key risk. The build vs buy guide supplies the comparison.
- Scope and attribute ownership. Product families in scope, channels, locales and the attribute-ownership map: ERP for commercial and logistic data, PLM for engineering data, PIM for marketing content and classification, DAM for assets.
- Five-year total cost of ownership. All ten categories, one-off and recurring, with source per line. The PIM total cost of ownership guide explains each category.
- Benefit levers. Time-to-market, enrichment hours, content-related returns, marketplace expansion and compliance risk avoided, each with baseline, target, formula, ramp and owner. The PIM ROI guide gives the formulas.
- Risks and mitigations. Data quality, integration readiness, team capacity and timing. Add regulation deadlines, such as PPWR general application from 12 August 2026.
- Sequence and plan. Data model, process, people, then selection and implementation. Include the selection approach: scenario-based demos on your own sample data.
- Sign-off. Five seats: economic buyer, business owner, technical evaluator, procurement and legal, compliance owner.
Which example rows belong in the cost and benefit sections?
The cost and benefit sections work best as rows with a source and an owner per line. The rows below are illustrative placeholders that show the expected level of detail.
| Section | Line | Example value (illustrative) | Source | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | Licence or subscription, per year | EUR 50,000 | Vendor quote | Procurement |
| Cost | Data migration and cleansing, one-off | EUR 45,000 | Partner quote plus internal estimate | Product data manager |
| Cost | Internal team time, per year | EUR 80,000 | Hours per role × loaded cost | Business owner |
| Benefit | Enrichment hours saved, per year | 2,000 SKUs × 1.5 hours × EUR 55 | Time study of 50 SKUs | Product data manager |
| Benefit | Time-to-market, days gained | 10 days | Release-to-live log for 12 months | Head of e-commerce |
| Risk | Data quality | 18 percent of SKUs miss mandatory attributes | Data profiling report | Product data manager |
Add a contingency line for one-off categories. As a PIMvendors estimate, 15 to 20 percent on implementation, integration and migration is a prudent planning figure.
What does the copy-ready business case table look like?
The table below holds the full structure in one view. Copy it into a spreadsheet or document and replace the bracketed text. The PIM TCO calculator fills the cost rows with five-year totals you can paste in.
| Section | Item | Year 1 (EUR) | Years 2 to 5 per year (EUR) | Five-year total (EUR) | Source | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | Licence or subscription | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [quote] | [name] |
| Cost | Implementation partner (one-off) | [ ] | 0 | [ ] | [quote] | [name] |
| Cost | Integration (one-off) | [ ] | 0 | [ ] | [quote or estimate] | [name] |
| Cost | Data migration and cleansing (one-off) | [ ] | 0 | [ ] | [estimate] | [name] |
| Cost | Data model design (one-off) | [ ] | 0 | [ ] | [estimate] | [name] |
| Cost | Internal team time | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [hours × rate] | [name] |
| Cost | Training and change (one-off) | [ ] | 0 | [ ] | [estimate] | [name] |
| Cost | Ongoing run costs | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [quote] | [name] |
| Cost | Connectors | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [quote] | [name] |
| Cost | AI usage credits | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [quote] | [name] |
| Cost | Contingency on one-off lines | [ ] | 0 | [ ] | [percentage] | [name] |
| Benefit | Time-to-market | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [baseline] | [name] |
| Benefit | Enrichment hours saved | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [baseline] | [name] |
| Benefit | Content-related returns | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [baseline] | [name] |
| Benefit | Marketplace expansion | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [baseline] | [name] |
| Benefit | Compliance hours saved | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [baseline] | [name] |
| Result | Net benefit (benefits − costs) | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | calculated | [name] |
| Result | ROI ((benefits − costs) ÷ costs) | [ ] percent | calculated | [name] | ||
| Result | Payback year | [ ] | calculated | [name] |
How should the sign-off section be structured?
The sign-off section lists the five seats, the part each one signs and the date. A signature per seat turns the business case into a shared commitment.
| Seat | Name and role | Signs off | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Economic buyer | [CDO, CIO, COO or CFO] | Budget and decision | [ ] |
| Business owner | [Head of e-commerce or product management] | Benefits and process | [ ] |
| Technical evaluator | [Enterprise architect] | Architecture and integration | [ ] |
| Procurement and legal | [Procurement manager, legal counsel] | Pricing basis and contract approach | [ ] |
| Compliance owner | [Regulatory or sustainability lead] | Regulatory attribute coverage | [ ] |
The stakeholder alignment guide explains what each seat needs to see before signing.
Fill in the cost and benefit tables with your own numbers before you call a vendor. A template completed with vendor figures describes the vendor's business case.
Frequently asked questions
How should I use this PIM business case template?
Use the template in the order given, starting with the decision and the problem in numbers. Fill each section with your own data and label every estimate. Copy the table at the end into a spreadsheet for the cost and benefit lines. Circulate the draft to all five seats of the buying committee before vendors are invited.
Where do the cost figures come from?
Cost figures come from three sources: vendor and partner quotes, your own internal estimates and labelled planning estimates. The PIM TCO calculator provides PIMvendors default estimates per cost category for mid-market and enterprise segments. Replace each default with a quote or an internal figure as the selection progresses, and record the source in the table.
Can I use this template for a PIM replacement?
The template works for a PIM replacement as well as a first PIM. For a replacement, add the current system's remaining contract term, exit costs and data migration effort to the options and cost sections. Compare staying, upgrading and replacing as three options. The benefit levers stay the same, measured against the current system's baseline.
How detailed should the benefit section be?
The benefit section should hold one row per lever with a baseline, a target, a formula and an owner. Five levers are typical: time-to-market, enrichment hours saved, content-related returns, marketplace expansion and compliance risk avoided. Leave out benefits without a measurable baseline and describe them in the narrative instead.
Sources and method
How this page was made: drafted by the PIM Selection editors from the sources listed, checked against the PIMvendors selection method, and signed off by a named expert. Editorial policy.
Cite this page
PIM Selection (2026). PIM business case template: outline, example rows and a table to copy. PIMvendors.com. https://pimselection.com/business-case/template/ (version 2026-10-14).