No prerequisites are necessary for attendance, although delegates would benefit from some experience of creating business cases for large capital expenditure projects and an appreciation of financial terminology.

Pre-Course Reading

• Delegates are provided with a copy of the Better Business Cases - Full Guidance document. This 152 page document is the basis for the course as well as the Foundation and Practitioner exams. Ideally delegates will have read this document but they must have read at least the first three chapters.
• Delegates are also expected to have read and completed the two exercises in the pre-reading.

At the end of this course you will be able to:

• Understand the importance of the Business Case
• Understand how the proposal fits with an organisation's strategic vision
• Establish the clear need for change
• Set clear objectives
• Determine 'value for money' solutions
• Consider a wide range of solutions and optimise the 'long list' into the 'short list'
• Ascertain whether the proposal is affordable and viable
• Consider such aspects as Risk, Procurement, Benefits and Management
• Consider the proposal to be able to deliver a successful delivery

The Better Business Cases course uses QA's unique multimedia case-studies and accelerated-learning techniques to ensure that theory is embedded and delegates feel confident in the practical application of this model. Additional evening work will be required in the form of consolidation reading and mock examination questions. The evening work is an integral part of the course and delegates should expect to spend approximately two hours on these activities.

The Foundation exam will be taken at the end day two. Delegates must pass the Foundation exam before taking the Practitioner exam.

The course will cover the following syllabus areas:

Five case model Overview

Delegates are introduced to the world of projects and capital expenditure. The individual five cases will be explored at a high level and the delegates will be shown how these five cases interact to form a cohesive whole.
Developing the Strategic Case

The following areas will be discussed:

• Defining the case for change
• Setting SMART objectives
• Defining benefits
• Defining key risks
• Balancing Effectiveness / Economy / Efficiency

Developing the Economic Case

The following areas will be discussed:

• Options framework analysis
• Defining the 'long list'
• Benefits appraisals
• Risk appraisals
• Turning the 'long list' into a 'short List' and a 'preferred option'

Developing the Commercial Case

The following areas will be discussed:

• Determining the procurement strategy
• Apportioning risk
• Determining payment mechanisms

Developing the Financial Case

The following areas will be discussed:

• Ascertaining affordability
• Securing relevant funds
• Determining capital requirements
• Net effect on prices

Developing the Management Case

The following areas will be discussed:

• Defining project management controls
• Defining change controls
• Define benefit measurement arrangements
• Define risk management arrangements
• Define post project evaluation processes

Better Business Cases Foundation Examination

Key exam information:

• 40 minutes long
• Closed book
• 50 multiple-choice questions
• 50% pass mark

Better Business Cases Practitioner Examination

Key exam information:

• 2.5 hours long
• Open book (Manual for this course only)
• 4 questions with 20 marks available per question
• 50% pass mark

Throughout the Better Business Cases Practitioner course, delegates will be exposed to numerous examples of examination questions. We will undertake a number of exercises and 'question-and-answer' sessions that will help to consolidate the learning, thereby ensuring that delegates are more than adequately prepared for the exams.