Business Case Seminars: Boston, August 2008

The Business Case is no Longer Optional!

Building the Business Case, 2 days: 6-7 August 2008

Business Case Master Class, 1 day: 8 August 2008

It's no secret that the current business climate is rapidly losing its tolerance for management errors while the need for rock-solid accountability is increasing. Most important business decisions today require a business case. Everyone talks about the "business case," but surprisingly few know what this means or what makes the difference between a strong case and a weak case.

Join more than 12,000 other professionals who have taken the same training at Boeing, Cisco, Ericsson, McDonald's, Microsoft, IBM, Peoplesoft, the US Department of Defense, NASA, and dozens of other organizations. Learn and practice the proven approach presented in the white paper Business Case Essentials and the best selling Business Case Guide. (See seminar agenda below).

The January/February offerings of these seminars were sold out well in advance. Enrollment is strictly limited to 24 participants for each session.

Who Should Attend

Since 1994, Solution Matrix Ltd. has helped thousands of business people and others to understand the essentials and deliver business case results that score high in credibility, accuracy, and practical value. Building the Business Case and the Master Class are designed for

Those in business and government responsible for project, program, or product proposals
Managers with a need to bring consistency, discipline, and accountability to decision making and planning in their organizations
Consultants and contractors who work with government organizations
Those who propose or plan major IT acquisitions or changes
Business and government people responsible for capital spending decisions
Sales people and sales managers who need to show customers that a decision to buy is a good business decision

What You Will Learn

"Building the Business Case" and "Master Class" seminars feature "hands on" workshops with real business case examples. Most participants have little or no prior experience in finance or business planning. During the course they build the benefits rationale, cost model, and financial analysis at the heart of a professional quality business case. At "Building the Business Case" you will learn:

The essential building blocks that every business case must have
What to look for in case reports that makes the difference between a strong case and a weak case
Important differences between the business case for private industry and the business case for government or military organizations.
How to build credibility as you build your case
How to legitimize and measure the full range of business benefits—even the so-called "intangibles"
How to build a financial modeling system for asking "what if" questions, finding which assumptions that drive results, and measuring risk and uncertainty in your projections
How to package and present business case results for maximum impact

The "Business Case Master Class" (one day) provides additional in-depth practical guidance and hands-on experience in:

Building the financial model that "makes the case" supporting project proposals, program proposals, product proposals, or capital acquisition proposals
Estimating costs and benefits realistically and credibly
Implementing important financial metrics in your financial results (including NPV, IRR, Payback Period, and IRR).
Good practice, shortcuts and risks in spreadsheet modeling
Using Monte Carlos simulation to ask "What If?" questions, measure risk, and reduce uncertainty in projected business results
Quantitative methods for bringing non-financial benefits and costs into the business case
Taking the "Soft" out of "Soft Benefits"

Venue

Seminar hours will be 9.00 AM to 5.00 PM (with a one-hour lunch break) on Wednesday and Thursday 6-7 August 2008 (Building the Business Case) and Friday, 8 August 2008 (Business Case Master Class). Arrival by 8.45 each morning is requested. Further details will be e-mailed to participants upon registration. Lunch each day and refreshments are included in the seminar fee.

Boston Massachusetts is one of the United States' most popular travel destinations. Building the Business Case will be held at the Back Bay Hilton, 40 Dalton Street, in easy walking distance of public transportation, a wide range of hotels, and some of the city's most interesting historical sites (Hotel phone: 1.617.236.1100 ). Back Bay is a short ride by taxi or subway from Boston's Logan International Airport (BOS). More information on Boston accommodations and attractions can be found at he Greater Boston Convention and Visitor's Bureau website at www.bostonusa.com,

Seminar Leader

Building the Business Case and Business Case Master Class are led by Dr. Marty J. Schmidt, President and Founder of Solution Matrix Ltd. Dr Schmidt has twenty years business experience, managing software development, international marketing and sales support, and, (since 1987) management consulting on business issues. He is a recognized authority on the application of cost/benefit analysis and business case development.

Dr. Schmidt also taught graduate and undergraduate statistics at the University of New Hampshire, is the author of a college textbook on statistics, and publishes often on professional management and business issues (e.g., The Business Case Guide, 2nd ed., ISBN 1-929500-01-7). He holds the Ph.D. degree from Purdue University and the M.B.A. from Babson College. Click for more information on Solution Matrix Ltd. and our clients.

Price

Enrollment is strictly limited and available space will be filled in the order registrations are received. Seminar Fees:

Building the Business Case: US $1,650 per person. Business Case Master Class: US $825 per person. Early Bird Rates: Register 4 weeks or more before the seminars (by 9 July) and attend Building the Business Case for $1,450 and/or the Master Class for $725.

The seminar fees includes:

Classroom training
All training materials
One copy of the Business Case Guide, 2nd ed (PDF edition)
Financial Metrics Pro (MS Excel)
Lunch on training days and refreshments
Participants in the Business Case Master Class also receive a copy of Financial Modeling Pro.

Download your copies of these resources Pro immediately after registering for either or both seminars.!

Team Discount: When five participants from the same organization register with payment at the same time, the fifth participant attends free. Send requests for a free fifth participant by email to smatrix@solutionmatrix.com. Please identify the participant, his or her contact information, organization, and names of the other four registered participants.

No Hassle Money-Back Guarantee: If you are not completely satisfied with Building the Business Case or the Business Case Master Class seminars, please let us know in writing within 15 days after seminar completion, and we will refund 100% of your seminar fee. Reservations may be cancelled up to 15 days before the seminar, subject to a $150 cancellation fee. Substitutions may be made at any time up to the start of the seminar.

Registration

Submitting a registration request affirms that you have read and accept the seminar cancellation and substitution policy (above).

Registration for the Boston Seminars

These links take you to our secure online shopping cart page, where you will be asked to provide the name of the registered participant, contact information, and credit card details to complete payment of the seminar fee.

Register for Building the Business Case, 6-7 August 2008, Boston
Register for Business Case Master Class, 8 August 2008, Boston
Register for both seminars, 8 August 2008, Boston

To register for the April seminars by mail or fax click for printable registration form

Solution Matrix Ltd. is a registered US Government contractor in the Central Contractor Registration Database, CAGE code 1QXP6

Building the Business Case Agenda - Day 1

Day 1 Morning (9:00 - 12:00)

Introductions and Overview

• Introductions, participants and instructors
• Business case overview (the view from 39,000 feet)
• 5 keys to a successful case (overview from 2,000 feet)
• Review essential financial concepts Part I
     – Measuring business performance
     – Income statement (Statement of operations)
     – Balance sheet (Statement of fiinancial position)
     – Planning and budgeting concepts
     – The time value of money

Designing the Case

• The business case introduction
• The subject statement:
     – What is the case is about?
     – Which business objectives does the subject addressed?
     – Which business problems does the subject solve?
• The purpose statement:
     – Why the case is being built?
     – Who will use it? For what purpose? When?
     – What information do they need?
• Case scope and boundaries:
     – Whose costs and whose benefits will be included?
     – What time period will the analysis cover?
• Case studies (Other case studies added at participant request)
     – Justifying a major software system (ERP system)
     – Estimating marketing program ROI
     – Deciding whether or not to launch an e-business venture

Workshop Practical Exercise 1: Subject, Purpose, and Scope
     – Writing the business case subject statement
     –  Determining the case purpose
     – Setting the case scope and boundaries

Lunch (12:00 - 1:00)

Day 1 Afternoon (1:00 - 5:00)

• Essential financial concepts Part II
     – Financial decision criteria
     – Financial metrics in the business case
     – Net present value (NPV) and discounted cash flow (DCF)
     – Return on Investment (ROI)
     – Payback period
     – Internal rate of return (IRR)
     – Other financial metrics to meet the case purpose

Designing the Case (Continued)
• Methods and assumptions
• Scenario design
• Data sources
• Precisely what do 'cost' and 'benefit'' mean?
• The cost model Introduction
     –  Rules for deciding which cost items belong in the case
     – Ensuring that different scenarios are compared fairly
     – A tool for cost analysis
     – Showing that all relevant costs are included
• An activity-based cost model
• A resource-based cost model
• Identifying assumptions / Making assumptions

Workshop Practical Exercise 2: The Cost Model
     –  Choosing the approach: Activity-based or resource-based model?
     –  Designing the cost model structure
     – Identifying cost impacts
     – Turning cost impacts into projected cash flow

Building the Case
• Analyzing costs and benefits
• Cost models for the case studies
• The road ahead: Benefits rationale and cash flow projections

Day I Summary and Wrap Up

Building the Business Case Agenda - Day 2

Day 2 Morning (9:00 - 12:00)

• Review of Day 1, overview of Day 2

Building the Business Case (Continued)
• Analyzing costs and benefits (continued)
• The full range of business benefits
• Building the benefits rationale:
     – Benefits begin with business objectives
     – Common conceptions about hard and soft benefits
     – Problems with so-called intangible benefits
     – Legitimizing benefits for the business case
     – Measuring value in financial terms
• The benefits rationale for case studies

Workshop practical exercise 3: Benefits
     – Identifying business objectives for action
     – Determining benefits (contributions to objectives)
     – Making objectives and benefits tangible
     – The value of reaching objectives
     – Assigning value to benefits

Lunch (12:00 - 1:00)

Day 2 Afternoon (1:00 - 5:.00)

Building the Case (Continued)
• The Financial model
• Cash flow statements
     – Full-value cash flow statement for each scenario
     – The incremental cash flow statement
     – The baseline for measuring savings, increases, and improvements
• Building the financial model
     – Static vs. dynamic models
     – Assumptions and the dynamic model
     – "Costing" and "valuing" from the assumptions
• Analyzing results

Workshop Practical Exercise 4: The Financial Model
     – Designing the financial model
     – Spreadsheet implementation
     – Testing the model

Packaging and Presenting the Case
• Asking 'What if?' questions · Sensitivity, risks, and contingencies
     –  Sensitivity analysis: Which assumptions are most important?
     – Simple sensitivity analysis
     – Sensitivity analysis: rigorous
     – Risk analysis: How likely are projected results? Other results?
• Risk and sensitivity analysis with Monte Carlo simulation
     – Reducing uncertainty in projected results
     – Measuring and reporting uncertainty
     – Confidence intervals for projected results
     – Implementing your own Monte Carlo simulation
• Non financial results in the business case
     – The difference between "intangible" and "non financial" results
     – Linking non financial results to business objectives
     – Comparing financial and non financial results

Workshop Practical Exercise 5: Non Financial Results
– Non financial contributions to business objectives
– Comparing financial and non financial results on the same basis

Recommendations and conclusions
• Meeting business objectives: What it's all about
• Contingencies: What must we mange, to bring in the predicted results?
• Risks: Which risk factors must we watch?
• Practical guidance for management

Your next steps
Course summary and wrap up

Business Case Master Class (1 Day)

• The financial model at the heart of the business case
• Good practice In spreadsheet programming
• Building the model
     – Set up sheet: Setting the structure
     – Designing and building cash flow statements
     – Global, scenario-specific, and item-specific assumptions
     – Projecting Costs / Projecting Benefits
     – Analyzing results / Building in financial metrics
• Cost model analysis
• Risk and sensitivity analysis / Monte Carlo simulation
• Bringing non-financial benefits and costs into the business case
• Comparing financial benefits and non-financial benefits