Building an Effective Business Case

Frequently Asked Questions

What is this course about? The business case is a tool that supports decision-making and projects the financial and business consequences of a specific business initiative or project. Thoroughly researched and clearly communicated business cases provide higher quality information resulting in better management and project decisions. Conversely, if a business case is poorly constructed or poorly communicated, organizations can miss opportunities and make less-than-optimum decisions. In this course, you learn how to analyze and build a successful business case to meet your organization's unique needs and enable your organization to make better decisions. You maximize the chances that your business case will be accepted and learn how to effectively present the case to critical stakeholders to gain acceptance. You also write a business case and align it with business requirements and drivers. Who will benefit from this course? This course is valuable for the following audiences: Anyone within an organization who has to construct a business case to justify an investment in a program, product, or purchase. Professionals who are transitioning to a new role in which the creation and presentation of business cases is expected. Often this transition is from a technical or operations role to the role of business analyst. Technical evaluators who must evaluate and report on business cases. Executives who must communicate their business case expectations and standards to subordinates. What background do I need? This course is open to anyone who wants to develop a clear business case for decision-making. There are no prerequisites. How is this course different from Course 211? In Course 211, Introduction to Business Analysis: Defining Successful Projects, you learn to apply a solid business analysis framework and prioritize the feasibility of business initiatives. This course builds on the knowledge gained in Course 211 and enables you to apply the business analysis skills from Course 211 toward the construction of a business case. I already took Course 281. How is this course different? Course 281, Finance and Accounting for Non-Financial Managers, is for those who want to integrate financial concepts into the decision-making and budgeting process. By contrast, this course is not geared toward the development of a financial model. While financial modeling is covered in this course, it is only one aspect of constructing a business case. If you're interested specifically in financial analysis, you should consider Course 281 or Course 247, MBA Essentials: Enhancing Organizational Performance. How is this course different from Course 247 or Course 252? Course 247, MBA Essentials: Enhancing Organizational Performance, and Course 252, Strategic Planning for Organizational Success, are both geared toward overall business and strategic planning. Course 247 focuses on integrating business management theory with realistic practices. Course 252 is aimed at those who want to formulate strategic plans to help their organizations advance and grow. By contrast, this course doesn't focus on business planning but rather on planning for a specific business initiative or project. Does this course cover writing requirements? This course covers some of the issues and concerns of business requirements gathering. For exclusive coverage on requirements gathering, you should consider Course 315, Developing User Requirements: The Key to Project Success, or Course 218, User and System Requirements for Successful Software Development. How much time is spent on each topic? Content Hours Course introduction 1.5 Creating a business case action plan 1.5 Initiating a business case action plan 1.5 Developing the initiative 2.5 Analyzing your options 3.0 Managing risk 2.0 Ranking alternative solutions 1.5 Creating the executive summary 2.0 Presenting the business case 2.5 Times, including the workshops, are estimates; exact times may vary according to the needs of each class. How much of this course is hands-on? This course applies a case study based on an organization's overarching business concern - the need to reduce internal IT customer support. The case is presented via videos, role-playing and computer-enhanced simulation. You work in groups and apply the process and techniques to develop, write and present a business case. I need to write a business plan. Should I take this course? No. While a business case is part of a business plan, this is not the focus of the course. The foundation for building a business plan is covered in Course 247 and Course 252. Is this course applicable to a Project Management Professional (PMP) certification? Yes. Although this course is not designed as preparation for the exam, it is beneficial to anyone working toward PMI's PMP certification. For those who are currently certified, completion of this course counts as 17 professional development units (60 units must be completed every three years to maintain certification). For more details, please see the Learning Tree PMI Registered Education Provider Q&A. If you are an experienced project manager intending to take the PMP exam, you should take Course 276, Preparing for the Project Management Professional (PMP®) Exam. In this course you learn essential PMBOK® Guide terminology, tools and techniques. You gain practical test-taking experience through PMI-style practice exams and create your own personal study plan for continued use after the course. Is this course approved by the IIBA? Yes. Learning Tree is an Endorsed Education Provider (EEP) by the International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA). This course has been approved by the IIBA as supporting core concepts and knowledge outlined by IIBA's Business Analysis Body of Knowledge® (BABOK®). This course also counts toward the 21 hours of professional development required to take the Certified Business Analysis ProfessionalTM (CBAPTM) exam. The IIBA, an independent, nonprofit professional association for business analysts, created the BABOK, which is a collection of knowledge for professional business analysts. The BABOK reflects what is current generally accepted practice and describes business analysis areas of knowledge, their associated activities and tasks, and the skills necessary to be effective in their execution. How does this course relate to other Learning Tree courses? The following courses are closely related to this course: Course 211, Introduction to Business Analysis: Defining Successful Projects, is valuable to take prior to this course as it provides a foundation in business analysis. However, Course 211 is not a prerequisite. Both Course 315, Developing User Requirements: The Key to Project Success, and Course 218, User and System Requirements for Successful Software Development, cover writing well-formed and validated user requirement. Effective requirements gathering is essential to constructing many business cases. Course 281, Finance and Accounting for Non-Financial Managers, provides the skills to evaluate the financial viability of projects and business initiatives. In Course 247, MBA Essentials: Enhancing Organizational Performance, you learn fundamental business concepts and proven management analysis tools to address business challenges and make better decisions. Course 252, Strategic Planning for Organizational Success, offers the skills to formulate, execute and monitor the strategic planning for your organization using proven analytical techniques and models. In Course 901, Introduction to Business Intelligence: Designing a Successful BI Program, you learn the critical variables needed to implement an effective Business Intelligence program that maximizes your organization's business opportunities. In Course 213, Introduction to Knowledge Management, you learn to build a Knowledge Management solution that leverages organizational and individual knowledge. In Course 909, Management Skills for Experienced Managers, you gain practical knowledge, skills and political savvy to become more effective at implementing strategy, addressing business challenges, decision making, leadership and motivation. In Course 296, Project Management: Skills for Success, you learn how to produce a project plan for successful delivery. The following courses can assist you in writing your business case: 219, Hands-On Business and Report Writing: The Art of Persuasion  319, Technical Writing: A Comprehensive Hands-On Introduction  Other business analysis courses that may be of interest include: 381, Business Process Reengineering for Competitive Advantage  284, Critical Thinking and Creative Problem Solving  195, Power Excel®: Analyzing Data to Make Business Decisions  196, Introduction to Statistics: Making Better Business Decisions  289, Disaster Recovery Planning: Ensuring Business Continuity  The following courses may be of interest for effectively communicating your business plan: 292, Communication Skills: Results Through Collaboration  294, Influence Skills: Getting Results Without Direct Authority

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