Developing and Evaluating Business Cases

Developing and Evaluating Business Cases is a one and half day course that will equip you with the skills and knowledge to develop and evaluate a robust, compelling, and effective business case in the public sector.

The course combines class discussions with practical exercises, where you will have the opportunity to apply techniques in a real-life context. The material is presented in a comprehensible manner, tailored to the public sector.

Topics covered

  • Significance and background of business cases
  • How business cases fit within the various public sector governance frameworks
  • Developing compelling business cases
  • Options analysis
  • Risk and stakeholder analysis
  • Forecasting
  • Financial and non-financial cost-benefit analysis
  • Choosing the right funding sources
  • Ranking options and making recommendations

Who should attend?

This course is designed for professionals and managers who want to develop better business cases or those who are responsible for reviewing them. The course is aimed at participants new to those roles or those who wish to refresh and extend their knowledge on business cases.

Outcomes

Upon completion of the course, you will be able to:

  • Recognise the importance of governance in the project decision-making process
  • Identify key sections of a compelling business case
  • Use financial and non-financial tools and measures to evaluate business cases
  • Ask the right questions when evaluating business cases to provide relevant advice
  • Review your organisation’s current processes and propose changes to improve investment outcomes.

Practical exercises

Participants will work individually and in small teams on exercises to apply techniques to develop and analyse a robust business case. The exercises will provide a valuable insight into reasons a robust evaluation process is essential to ensure value for money. Participants will also perform financial analysis during this course.

Delivery structure

This course is delivered in a format that provides multiple touchpoints and reflective activities to apply the learnings in your work context.

Note: Delivered on non-consecutive days. Refer to calendar for delivery dates.

  • Day 1: Full day in-person at the UQ Brisbane City campus
  • Self-paced online learning activity (approximately 3-4 hours)
  • Day 2: 3-hour virtual session

Commitment to all sessions within this course is essential for an optimised learning experience.

Digital badge

Participants will receive a digital badge upon successful completion of all the sessions and activities in the course. Please refer to FAQs for more information on how our digital badges can benefit you.

Course facilitator

Dr Ihtisham Malik (PhD, UQ)

Lecturer in Finance | Academic Lead QTC Education Program

Ihtisham is a Lecturer in Finance at The University of Queensland (UQ), also having earned his PhD in finance from UQ in 2020. Ihtisham has vast experience in facilitating capacity building courses for Queensland’s public sector and is also the Academic Lead for UQ’s joint public sector finance program with the Queensland Treasury Corporation (QTC).

Ihtisham not only has a long teaching experience but is also actively involved in finance research. He has published scholarly work, in the field of corporate finance and asset pricing, in a number of highly ranked academic journals and has also been cited by different media outlets.

Upcoming courses

There are currently no scheduled workshops. Subscribe for updates

By registering for the course, you acknowledge the registration terms and conditions, including eligibility and cancellation policy.

If this time does not suit, subscribe to the newsletter for alerts on upcoming workshops. Alternatively, contact the QTC Education Program team on 1800 974 551 or email qtceducation@uq.edu.au to discuss your requirements.

"The hard-earned experiences of the public servant presenters offers the advantage of a learning experience tailored to the unique culture, challenges and practices of work within the public service."

Jared Johnson

A/ Senior Strategy & Risk Officer, Queensland Fire and Emergency Services