Better Business Cases™ Foundation & Practitioner Training

Better Business Cases™ Foundation & Practitioner Training Overview

Advance your project management and financial planning career with our Better Business Cases™ Foundation & Practitioner training. This comprehensive 5-day course is designed for professionals looking to master the development of compelling, evidence-based investment proposals. 

By covering both Foundation and Practitioner levels, this training equips you with a thorough understanding of the HM Treasury’s Five Case Model, the UK Government’s best practice framework for developing spending proposals and enabling effective business decisions. Better Business Cases™ is an APMG International-accredited methodology, widely adopted across the UK public sector and increasingly used in private and third-sector organisations globally. 

Developed in line with HM Treasury’s Green Book guidance, this course provides a structured, step-by-step approach to building business cases that demonstrate public value, optimise investment outcomes, and secure management support and funding. Whether you work in project management, finance, procurement, strategic planning, or governance, this certification empowers you to develop robust spending proposals with confidence.

Course Objectives

• To justify project interventions through comprehensive analysis
• To tailor business case proposals to address investor concerns
• To apply theoretical knowledge to real-life case scenarios
• To understand the Five Case Model and its application
• To improve financial planning and resource allocation
• To minimise risks and optimise investment returns
• To align projects with organisational objectives
• To develop a strategic business case

Upon completing the course, delegates will be awarded certifications at both Foundation and Practitioner levels, demonstrating their ability to effectively develop, plan, and present investment-worthy business cases using the Five Case Model.

The following pre-course reading will be e-mailed to you as a PDF document. Please ensure you have the right software available to read/extract a PDF file. The pre-course reading takes 8-10 hours to perform and consists of the following:

• Better Business Case® Workbook Pre-course study
• Green Book Guidance on Public Sector Business Cases Using the Five Case Model

In addition, delegates will be required to complete a MINIMUM of 1 hour of homework each evening.

Better Business Cases™ is a trademark of His Majesty's Treasury. All rights reserved.

Better Business Cases™ Foundation & Practitioner Course Outline

Module 1: Overview of the Five Case Model

• Five Key Components of a Business Case and the Order in Which they are Presented
• Three Key Stages in the Development of a Spending Proposal
• Definition of a Programme / Project and the Key Differences Between Programmes and Projects
• Purpose of a Business Justification Case (BJC) and in What Circumstances it Should be Considered
• Purpose of a Strategic Outline Case (SOC)
• Purpose of an Outline Business Case (OBC)
• Purpose of a Full Business Case (FBC)
• Relationship Between Policies, Strategies, Programmes, and Projects And Their Deliverables

Module 2: Developing the Strategic Case

• Purpose and Core Content of a Strategic Case
• Purpose of SMART Robust Spending Objectives and The Key Objectives for Spend: Economy, Efficiency, Effectiveness, Re-Procurement, and Statutory or Regulatory Compliance
• Four Main Categories of Benefits Criteria and the Parties Involved in Their Development
• Three Key Categories of Risk
• Purpose of Identifying Constraints and Dependencies
• Difference Between Direct and Indirect Benefits

Module 3: Developing the Economic Case

• Purpose and Core Content of an Economic Case
• Purpose of Critical Success Factors and the Key Critical Success Factors Based Upon the Five Case Model
• Purpose of the Long List Options and How to Generate Options and Undertake SWOT Analysis
• Minimum of Four Short-List Options, How They are Derived, and What They Should Include  
• Difference Between the Preferred Way Forward and the Preferred Option
• Purpose, Objectives, Key Participants, and Outputs of Workshop Stage 2 – Identifying and Assessing the Options
• Rules that Should be Followed for the Treatment of Costs and Benefits
• Key Differences Between Economic Appraisals and Financial Appraisals
• Factors Considered When Selecting the Preferred Option

Module 4: Developing the Commercial Case

• Purpose and Core Content of Commercial Case
• Guiding Principles When Apportioning Risk Between the Contractual Parties
• Purpose of Payment Mechanisms
• Purpose of Step 9 in the Development Framework: Contracting for the Deal

Module 5: Developing the Financial Case

• Purpose and Core Content of a Financial Case
• Financial Statements Required for all Projects
• Possible Impacts to Consider

Module 6: Developing The Management Case

• Purpose and Core Content of a Management Case
• Purpose of a Programme / Project Management Strategy, Framework, and Plan
• Purpose of a Change Management Strategy, Framework, and Plan
• Purpose of a benefits Realisation Strategy, Framework, and Register / Plan
• Purpose of a Risk Management Strategy, Framework, and Register / Plan
• Purpose of a Post Programme / Project Evaluation Strategy, Framework, and Plan

Module 7: Overview of Better Business Cases

• Alignment with the Strategic Planning Process
• Importance of The Business Case Using the Five Case Model
• Overview of the Five Case Model
• Purpose of the Key Stages in the Development of a Spending Proposal
• Purpose of a Business Justification Case
• Business Case Development Process
• Purpose of Project / Programme Assurance and Assurance Reviews
• Responsibility for Producing the Business Case

Module 8: Determining the Strategic Context and Undertaking the Strategic Assessment

• Scoping the Scheme and Preparing the Strategic Outline Case
• Planning the Scheme and Preparing the Outline Business Case
• Procuring the Solution And Preparing the Full Business Case
• Implementation and Monitoring
• Evaluation and Feedback

Module 9: Making the Case For Change

• Agree on the Strategic Context
• Determine Spending Objectives, Existing Arrangements, and Business Needs
• Determine Potential Business Scope and Key Service Requirements
• Determine Benefits, Risks, Constraint, and Dependencies

Module 10: Exploring the Preferred Way Forward

• Agree on Critical Success Factors
• Determine Long List Options and SWOT Analysis
• Recommend a Preferred Way Forward

Module 11: Determining Potential Value for Money

• Revisit the Short List
• Prepare the Economic Appraisal for Short-Listed Options
• Undertake Benefits Appraisal
• Undertake Risk Appraisal
• Select Preferred Option and Undertake Sensitivity Analysis

Module 12: Preparing for the Potential Deal

• Determine the Procurement Strategy
• Determine Service Streams and Required Outputs
• Outline Potential Risk Apportionment
• Outline Potential Payment Mechanisms
• Ascertain Contractual Issues and Accountancy Treatment

Module 13: Ascertaining Affordability and Funding Requirement

• Prepare the Financial Model
• Prepare the Financial Appraisals

Module 14: Planning for Successful Delivery

• Plan Programme / Project Management
• Plan Change and Contract Management
• Plan Benefits Realisation
• Plan Risk Management
• Plan Programme / Project Assurance and Post Project Evaluation

Module 15: Procuring the Value for Money Solution

• Revisit the Case for Change
• Revisit the OBC Options
• Detail Procurement Process and Evaluation of Best and Final Offers (BAFOs)

Module 16: Contracting for The Deal

• Set Out the Negotiated Deal and Contractual Arrangements
• Set Out the Financial Implications of the Deal

Module 17: Ensuring Successful Delivery

• Finalise Project Management Arrangements and Plans
• Finalise Change Management Arrangements and Plans
• Finalise Benefits Realisation Arrangements and Plans
• Finalise Risk Management Arrangements and Plans
• Finalise Contract Management Arrangements and Plans
• Finalise Post-Project Evaluation Arrangements and Plans