Better Business Cases: celebrating 10 years and 27,000 exams

We’re delighted to be celebrating over 27,000 completed exams for our Better Business Cases training and certification program.

The guidance and training/certification program are well established in the public sector. More recently we’re seeing ever-increasing numbers of private sector enterprises adopting the guidance and their employees undergoing training.

The learning and certification process equips participants with best practice knowledge and expertise on the development and review of business cases and investment proposals.

Organisations invest huge sums of money in projects, programmes and change initiatives across all sectors and industries. Business cases, or spending proposals, typically act as the catalyst for change and investment.

There’s no shortage of research available that points to alarmingly high rates of project failure, with many failures attributed to poor scoping and investment decisions. The cost of failure can be huge – think money invested in the initiative; results or outputs not delivered; and/or reputational damage that impacts related projects / programmes.

Without a carefully developed, carefully scrutinized business case or investment proposal, projects, programmes and other major change initiatives are at risk of failure if the business case fails to accurately scope the initiative (time, scope, cost, benefits realization, etc.). Whilst this is applicable to projects in any sector or industry, it’s perhaps more vital in the public sector where taxpayer funds are at stake.

Creating effective business cases and spending proposals is therefore critical to securing funding, management buy-in, and ensuring initiatives are stationed to succeed and deliver the intended outcomes and benefits. Accordingly, it’s vital that individuals involved in the development and review of business cases and investment proposals are able to develop these skills and further their capabilities.

Better Business Cases training and certification are underpinned by The Green Book – a guidance issued by HM Treasury and the Welsh Government on how to appraise policies, programmes and projects. It also provides guidance on the design and use of monitoring and evaluation before, during and after implementation.

Refined and tested over many years, this guidance provides a clear framework to approach spending proposals as well as a structured process for appraising, developing and planning to deliver best value for money.

At the heart of the guidance is the Five Case Model which aims to address five fundamental questions concerning investment decisions:

• The strategic case: Is there a compelling case for change?
• The economic case: Does the preferred investment option optimize value for money?
• The commercial case: Is the proposed deal commercially viable?
• The financial case: Is the spending proposal affordable?
• The management case: How can the proposal be delivered successfully?

The Five Case Model offers a structured framework and essential tools to facilitate informed decision-making in the development and planning of spending proposals. It is applicable at strategic, programme, and project levels, ensuring a comprehensive and rigorous approach.

The model provides a step-by-step guide to developing a business case that:

• Establishes a clear need for intervention (a case for change).
• Sets clear objectives in terms of return on investment.
• Considers a wide range of potential solutions ensuring an optimal balance of benefits, cost and risks.
• Sets out arrangements to ensure successful delivery of the proposal.

Working with HM Treasury and the Welsh Government, APMG launched the Better Business Cases accredited training and certification program over a decade ago. Individuals who attend training courses learn:

• How to apply The Green Book guidance
• Understand the Five Case Model
• Develop and review business cases and spending proposals
• How to optimize strategic proposals to give initiatives a greater chance at success 

Organisations and departments that adopt this framework can expect a reduction in unnecessary spending and improved decision-making processes. Additionally, project teams have a greater chance of securing necessary funding and support for change initiatives.

We surveyed former attendees to gain more insights about their experience with our Better Business Case training and certification, and their responses were overwhelmingly positive. Here are a few standout results: 

• When asked if individuals involved in the development and scrutiny of business cases/investment proposals should consider Better Business Cases training and certification to boost their ability, over 98% of respondents selected "Strongly Agree" or "Agree".
• Over 97% of respondents felt the learning/certification experience has enhanced their ability to develop and/or scrutinize business cases and investment proposals.
• Over 96% of respondents said the learning/certification experience equipped them with skills and knowledge they could apply immediately.

With multiple training options, it’s never been easier to earn your digital badge and certification to demonstrate your abilities in designing strategic proposals. . You can also view or download an overview presentation.