Creating Effective Business Cases

This course will provide an introduction to the business case development process.

This is a one-day programme designed to equip participants with a better understanding of the key elements of a business case, and how they can use this knowledge to improve the quality and robustness of business cases in their areas.

The course will consider the creation of business cases for procurement,  infrastructure and business change projects.

Apart from authoring, topics covered will also include review, sustainability and evaluation of business cases and the projects that flow from them, including the need for effective management and governance and stakeholder engagement.

At the Civil Service College, we tailor our courses to each attendee’s role and organisations, ensuring that each participant gets the most out of the training. Our courses and trainers are continuously updated and evaluated to ensure that we are always delivering the best service possible.

Key Training Features

Who Can Attend

Learning Outcomes


Key Training Features:

This course will draw upon current best practices including the

  • HM Treasury Green Book: appraisal and evaluation in central government
  • HM Treasury Orange Book. Management of risk – principles and concepts
  • HM Treasury Guide to Developing the project business case
  • HM Treasury The Aqua Book: guidance on producing quality analysis for government
  • Review of quality assurance of government analytical models

Participants will be invited to discuss their own past and current projects.

The training will incorporate two or more videos that demonstrate business case failure followed by a discussion on the issues raised

Participants will consider the features of a business case that are essential when seeking to

  • Renew or replace crumbling infrastructure,
  • Deliver business change or
  • Undertake a procurement

Who Can Attend:

Middle managers, project managers and anybody who may be asked to manage an author or review a business case. The approach being trained is considered to be best practice and is suitable for all those in the public and third sectors or for anybody in a civil society organisation seeking governmental funding.


Learning Outcomes:

Participants will be able to

  • Develop comprehensive but focused business cases
  • Identify and describe the sources of best practice
  • Be aware of current best practice thinking in business case development
  • Explain the typical points and causes of failure in a business case
  • Undertake informed stylistic reviews of business cases

Summary

Duration

10:00 - 16:00

Price

£625 + VAT

Location

Civil Service College, Westminster, London

Dates

Face to Face 17 May 2024 Book6

Virtual 18 September 2024 Book8

Virtual 5 December 2024 Book8

In-House Option

This course is available In-House and can be tailored to meet your individual training requirements.

Enquire

Lead Trainer

Maurice Diamond

Maurice Diamond

Maurice Diamond is a thought leader, senior executive, economist, and Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) and PFM Practitioner with extensive UK and international experience. In particular, Maurice’s career has focussed on leading change in public and third-sector organisations with the key objective being to improve stewardship in the public sector.

Read Bio
Maurice Diamond

Maurice Diamond

Maurice Diamond is a thought leader, senior executive, economist, and Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) and PFM Practitioner with extensive UK and international experience.

In particular, Maurice’s career has focussed on leading change in public and third-sector organisations with the key objective being to improve stewardship in the public sector. Amongst other skills, Maurice has substantial experience in project management, business case development, public procurement and PPP.

He has advised on complex procurements in the UK, Europe, Africa and Asia covering institution building through transactional advice and monitoring and evaluation and has used this experience to provide coaching, awareness, education, public lectures and training on complex procurements for senior civil servants and ministers. Maurice is a recognised expert on PPPs and led a UNCEFACT project group authoring a recommendation on PPP in trade facilitation.

Maurice has been awarded three prestigious procurement awards, including a gold award for innovation in Procurement from the Management Consultancy Association. Maurice is accredited to deliver the APMG World Bank-sponsored CP3P qualification. 

Maurice has

  • Planned managed and led projects and procurements across a range of services and in a number of countries
  • Authored and reviewed Business Cases/ Feasibility Studies ensuring that they are focussed and testing that the outcome will meet the business need.
  • Undertaken reviews and audits of organisational performance and governance and, where appropriate, recommended and implemented change.
  • Advised on the business delivery structure of government agencies and led subsequent reorganisations, mergers or divestments.
  • Reviewed existing processes, procedures and systems and staffing competencies and working together with staff to develop new processes, and define and select new financial and administrative systems.
  • Managed a review and update of the HMT Green Book
  • Implemented resource accounting across a range of public sector organisations including the Cabinet Office, Ministry of Defence and govt agencies
  • Devised and proposed business changes for Central medical stores in a number of countries across Africa, South America and Central Asia.

Amongst other agencies, Maurice has worked for USAID, PEPFAR, SMCS (Supply Chain Management Systems), UKAID (FCDO), World Bank and its agencies such as the IFC.

Maurice has experience working in over 25 countries across sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, Europe, North and South America and central, south and southeast Asia and has delivered training online to participants in many more.

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Jan - Dec 2024

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