Make a Business Case — A 1-Day Course

 Open Public Course Closed In-House Course

Course Synopsis

• Do you need to prove the value of projects before they get signed off?
• Do you want to identify which option gives your business the best return on your investment?
• Do you want to be able to write a compelling business case?

If the answer is "YES" - this is the course for you!

Make a Business Case enables those with project or line management experience to identify and justify the right decisions using business cases.

You will consider what techniques and processes are needed to build a solid, justifiable business case. Along the way you will gain the skills to interpret the data you collect and the practice in putting it together in a compelling and convincing manner.

You will also learn how to identify and quantify the costs and benefits to your business case (cost benefit analysis) and will understand how to use payback periods, return on capital, net present value and internal rate of return within your business case.

Most poor business cases fail to show the benefit or the cost or even to discuss the issues at a level the senior manager expects. Theis course will rectify all these problems.

Course Objectives

On completion of this Making a Business Case training course, delegates will be able to:

• Use a bank of business cases to draw on
• Define the key components of a business case
• Produce a Cost Benefit Analysis
• Determine the Payback Period, Return on Capital, Net Present Value and Internal Rate of Return for a business case
• Link their message to key corporate strategies
• Write a Management Summary

In the Practical Workshops, students will:

• Identify the key components business case
• Practice at writing business cases
• Experience evaluating business cases
• Practice at using various techniques to analyse your data
• Learn how to sell your ideas to your reader
• Identify and quantify, costs and benefits
• Perform a financial risk and sensitivity analysis

Intended Audience

This course is intended for:

• Anyone who has to justify their business decisions by commercially sound logic
• Anyone who will help prepare business cases

Benefits for your Company

All companies need to control their business with sound financial information. Managers who understand how to create business cases to explain why new developments are necessary are a useful commodity.

Benefits for You

Once you understand the basic structure of a business case and are able to see the purpose it fills you will feel confident in writing your own.

The practice you get at putting business cases together will give you the ability to repeat this back in the workplace.

Publicly scheduled dates, locations, and prices

Outline Course Contents

Introduction & Welcome

You will meet like-minded people, discuss the challenges you face and share your reasons for wanting to be on the course.

An experienced, friendly trainer will help you visualise where you want this course to take you.

Why is a Business Case Needed?

You will gain an overview of the course and what is needed for a successful business case. You will consider key messages and what the reader is looking for from a business case.

You start looking at business cases from the reader's perspective.

Costs and Benefits

This is where you will learn how to calculate what investment is involved as well as the advantages gained from implementing the solution you propose. You will look at quantifying tangible benefits and how to express intangible benefits.

You will start preparing cost and benefit information.

Appraisal Methods

You will look at various methods to check if your solution is commercially viable. Including return on investment - targeted statistics, multiple information sources and alternative scenarios. You will determine the Payback Period, Return on Capital, Net Present Value and Internal Rate of Return for a business case.

You will start to use the tools shown and assess how to use them back in the workplace.

Risk and Sensitivity

You take a look at some techniques to assess what risks are associated with your solution and where data is sensitive to change, so that you can highlight what needs to be monitored closely as the solution is implemented.

You practice techniques to give the professional edge to your business case, showing you have thought about the implementation.

Exercises and Case Study

An opportunity to practice gathering information and drafting a business case with our case study data. This will give you confidence and experience which will motivate you to complete your business case back at work.

You write a case study from scratch.