Training Services → Beyond the Basics®
Business Case Development
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The Business Case is a document used to characterize proposed projects in support of a formal project selection process. When properly written, this document contains all of the information that management needs to make an informed funding decision.
Business Case Development provides two full days of practical training in the development of this critically important tool. This course first explains the purpose and function of the Business Case and its role in the project selection process. Then participants are led through a series of hands-on exercises during which they systematically build an actual Business Case document. Course topics include:
- Managing your investment in projects: Portfolio Management Overview
- How projects support strategy
- Business Value and Return on Investment (ROI)
- Definition of Project Success
- Project Selection process: using a Business Case
- How the Business Case adds value
- Business Case structure and content
- Project Overview and Background
- Problem / Opportunity Qualification
- Project Approach
- Benefit / Cost
- Project Stakeholders
- Assumptions and Constraints
- Risk
- Authorization
- Developing data for the Business Case
- Developing useful estimates
- Project Costing Tool
- Risk Evaluation Tool
- Financial Analysis Worksheet
Who should attend
This course is ideal for anyone concerned with management of the overall investment in projects, including business analysts, project sponsors, portfolio managers, and anyone with responsibility for fulfilling Business Strategy.
Prerequisites
This course assumes some experience with concepts related to the selection of projects.
Related Courses
For a more complete coverage of Project Portfolio Management concepts see Executive's Guide to Project Portfolio Management
Course Outline
I. The Business Case in Context
- The importance of projects
- Project Portfolio Management Overview
- How projects support strategy
- Business Value and Return on Investment (ROI)
- Definition of Project Success
- Project Selection process: using a Business Case
- How the Business Case adds value
- Building Project Success
II. Establishing the Business Case
- Select projects for exercises
- Review the Business Case template
- Exercises: Fill out each section of the template
- Project Overview and Background
- Project Approach Details
- Effective estimation with PERT
- Benefit and Cost
- Demo: Project costing tool
- In depth financial analysis (e.g. NPV, Benefit/Cost ratio, Payback Period)
- Stakeholders
- Stakeholder analysis
- Project impact on stakeholders
- Assumptions and Constraints
- Risk Assessment
- Business Case: Next Steps
III. Dealing with Multiple Project Approaches
- Objective methods for evaluation of Project Approach
- Alignment with Strategy
- Weighted Scoring
- AHP
- Decision Tree
This course includes 15 hands-on exercises and facilitated discussions. Participants use a professional template to build a Business Case during class exercises. Course material is fully consistent with the most recent releases of the PMBOK® and BABOK®.
Learning Approach
- A highly experienced instructor will use interactive lecture format, extensive hands-on exercises, group discussions, interview simulation and other techniques to drive home the essential points of this material.
- We will build on whatever Business Analysis experience you have while providing you with a structure and vocabulary to use in future Business Analysis work.
- If you have modest Business Analysis background, you will find that the clarity of the material and direct presentation style of the instructor will make the subject matter easy to understand.
- You will receive a Participant Guide which will help you follow the material, take notes and retain what you learned so that you can apply it on your job.
Why should I take this course?
- This course emphasizes the importance of a formal project selection process and demonstrates important tools, such as the Business Case, to support it.
- BAs, portfolio managers and others will discover a vocabulary and framework that lends structure and perspective to the experience they already have.
- All participants will find that the exercises in this course reinforce primary concepts used to define and select projects.
- Take this course and learn how to build a Business Case that will truly serve the needs of your organization.
Licensing
Use this courseware to teach your students! This course is available under license to qualified Training Providers. Courseware materials include:
- Instructor slides
- Instructor manual with timing guide
- Printed participant guide
- Train the Trainer instruction
- Written for classroom or virtual delivery
For more information, see
Courseware-On-Demand or Contact Us
Every course and workshop in our Project Training program is fully customizable. We offer virtual delivery of the training program you need. Call us: +1.919.495.7371.
All of our courses are fully compliant with the latest release of each relevant standards document such as the PMBOK® Guide, Standard for Portfolio Management, BABOK® Guide, and others.
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