Making a business case

Making a Business Case provides delegates with the skills they require to successfully present a business case. This course explains how to identify the key stakeholders to whom the case is to be addressed, and to create a cost-benefit analysis. Delegates get the opportunity to write a report and prepare a presentation outlining the business case.

This course is delivered by trainers who bring their substantial practical experience to the programme. For an on-site audience the course can either be run using a realistic case study, or can be used as a workshop to focus on and develop the outlines of a real business case - using the delegates'' own projects as a basis for the practical exercises.

A comprehensive manual, including references for further reading, is supplied as part of the course.

1. What is a business case?
• The drivers of business change
• When business cases are needed
• Framework for constructing a business case
2. Defining the audience
• The concept of stakeholder analysis
• Generic project stakeholders
• Identifying stakeholders
• Stakeholder management strategies
3. Assessing feasibility
• Aspects of feasibility - business, technical and financial elements
• Using PESTLE analyses to assess feasibility
• Force-field analysis
4. Defining the benefits
• Tangible and intangible benefits
• Immediate and longer-term benefits
• Identifying the benefits
• Quantifying benefits
• Presenting intangible benefits.
5. Defining the costs
• Tangible and intangible costs
• Once-off and recurring costs
• Identifying the costs
• Quantifying the costs
• Dealing with intangible cost elements
6. Impacts and risks
• Identifying non-cost impacts
• Identifying risks
• Devising risk management strategies
7. Practical exercises
• Identifying benefits
• Identifying costs
• Identifying impacts and risks
8. Assessing the financial case
• Payback calculations
• The time value of money
• Discounted cash-flow/net present value
• Internal rate of return
9. Presenting the business case 1 - report writing
• Identifying and focusing on the audience
• Structure of the document
• The importance of the management summary
• Details and appendices
• Appearance of the document
10. Presenting the business case 2 - presentation techniques
• What makes an effective presentation?
• Identifying and focusing on the audience
• Structure of a presentation
• Presenting the issues
• Visual aids
• Presentation techniques