You Will Learn How To
- Analyze, create and communicate a successful business case to meet your organization's unique needs
- Translate a concept or initiative into a range of viable options for achieving organizational goals
- Identify and compare costs and benefits of alternative solutions
- Apply risk assessment techniques to forecast and mitigate potential problems
- Prioritize alternative solutions according to key decision criteria
- Present the business case effectively to critical stakeholders to gain acceptance
Course Benefits
A business case is a tool for projecting the financial and business consequences of an organizational initiative. Organizations can miss valuable opportunities and make less than optimum decisions because of poorly constructed and communicated business cases. In this course, you carefully analyze initiatives to construct a clear business case that enables organizations to make better decisions. You also apply a library of tools and templates for real-world application.
Who Should Attend
Business analysts, project managers and anyone who creates business cases to justify investment in a program, product, or purchase, plus business and technical evaluators who evaluate and report on business cases.
Throughout this course, you are immersed in a computer- and video-enhanced experience which simulates a real-world business case analysis that yields tangible work products and deliverables. Activities include:
- Developing and presenting a real business case
- Analyzing your stakeholders
- Applying key interview skills
- Determining user scenarios for the proposed process or product
- Identifying and prioritizing alternative solutions
- Performing cost-benefit analysis
- Capturing and prioritizing risk using a business case Risk Register
- Prioritizing alternative solutions to align with key business criteria
- Creating a persuasive executive summary
Course 212 Content
Introduction
- Fundamentals of a business case
- Where the business case fits into the project life cycle
- Recognizing decision makers
- Business case as an Organization Process Asset (OPA)
Defining the Business Case
The six-step process model
- Focusing on the required elements
- Examining the role and value of the steps
Identifying the benefits and risks of the process
- Clarifying the business drivers
- Proving that benefits are realized
Scoping the Business Case
The two-step scoping process
- Harvesting stakeholder perceptions
- Collecting the business requirements
Applying the stakeholder perception matrix
- Creating the problem and opportunity statement
- Writing business requirements
Detailing the Initiative
Conducting stakeholder analysis
- Identifying business-level stakeholders
- Eliciting tacit knowledge from stakeholders
Analyzing user scenarios
- Structuring and interpreting the scenarios
- Diagramming as an effective tool
Analyzing Your Options
Developing possible alternatives
- Practical tools for researching alternatives
- Investigating your options to derive alternate solutions
Comparing costs and benefits
- Categorizing tangible and intangible benefits
- Evaluating and selecting financial appraisal methods
Forecasting benefits
- Creating a benefits rationale
- The impact of time and risk
Applying basic cost models
- Four common financial analysis tools
- Creating a cost model
Managing Risk in Your Business Case
Risk assessment methods and tools
- Creating and using a risk register
- Applying the risk assessment matrix
Prioritizing risks
- Framing risk with your stakeholder analysis
- Aligning risk evaluation results with stakeholder point of view
Prioritizing Alternative Solutions
Examining decision processes
- Evaluating three common decision-making models
- Heuristics: rule-based decision making
Delivering and positioning the solution
- Prioritizing and selecting alternatives by key decision criteria
- Aligning the business case with decision processes
- Selecting the business case delivery methodology
Crafting a Persuasive Executive Summary
Preparing the document
- Outlining the format and contents
- Overcoming the business document paradox
- Minimizing content to get maximum results
Polishing the summary
- Avoiding common mistakes
- Applying fundamental tools and techniques
Presenting the Business Case
Organizing the presentation
- Revisiting key decision maker hot buttons
- Preparing the message
- Sequencing the content
- Tailoring your presentation to the audience
Selecting the delivery medium
- Communicating your case with confidence
- Templates to build powerful presentations and wall-walks
Improving the presentation
- Validating your presentation
- Practicing your role
- Generating feedback for improvement
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