Business Case Seminar in Hong Kong December 2008

The world's leading business case seminar comea to Hong Kong in December. Presented by Solution Matrix Ltd. and Solution Matrix Asia Sdn. Bhd.

Building the Business Case, 2 days
Hong Kongi, 11-12 December 2008

The Business Case is no Longer Optional

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, and dozens of other organizations. Learn and practice the proven approach presented in the whitepaper Business Case Essentials and the best selling Business Case Guide. (See workshop agendas below).

Previous offerings of this workshop were sold out. 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 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 who advise clients in decision making and planning
Those who propose or plan major IT acquisitions or changes
Business 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
Business school faculty who focus on business planning, finance, decision-support, and business strategy

What You Will Learn

Solution Matrix Business Case workshops 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" (two days) 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
The difference between the case for decision support and the case for business planning
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

Venue

Workshop hours will be 0900 to 1700 (with a one-hour lunch break) on each of the workshop days. Complete venue details will be emailed to participants as soon as registration is completed. Lunch on workshop days and refreshments are included in the workshop fee.

Hong Kong

Renowned for its expansive skyline and natural setting, Hong Kong is one of the world's leading financial capitals and a major business and cultural hubs. Building the Business Case will be held at the Conrad Hong Kong (www.conradhongkong.com). Soaring 61 floors above Pacific Place, an upscale retail and entertainment complex in the city's central business district, Conrad Hong Kong offers easy access to many sites of interest, as well as all major transportation, including Mass Transit Railway, Star Ferry, and bus and tram services. The hotel address is Pacific Place, 88 Queensway, Hong Kong, China. T. 852 252 13838 F. 852 252 13888 E. hongkonginfo@conradhotels.com.

Workshop Leader

Building the Business Case is 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.). 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.

Co-Facilitator

Workshop co-facilitator is Anuar Mohammed Ariff, Managing Director of Solution Matrix Asia Sdn. Bhd. Achieving sales targets has been the focus of Anuar’s working life for the past twenty-five years. During his time in the field, he has sold a wide range of products, solutions and services in the insurance, banking and telecommunications industries. In 1994, Anuar was part of a local bank’s team that built the business case and subsequently launched the first European-style bancassurance in Asia. A holder of the Master of Business Administration from the University of Wales, a Fellow of the US Life Management Institute and an Associate of the UK-based Chartered Insurance Institute, Anuar brings Solution Matrix’s training and consulting services to Asia and the MIddle East.

Price

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

Building the Business Case (2 days): Seminar Fee: US$ 1,650 / HK$ 12,800 / MYR 5,800 per person. Early bird pricing : Register for the seminar in advance (up to 30 Nov) and attend at the early bird rate of US$ 1,450 / HK$ 11,300 / MYR 5,100 per person.

The workshop fee includes:

Classroom training
All training materials
Lunch and refereshments all training days.

Building the Business Case Pariticipants receive these resources when they register:

One copy of the Business Case Guide, 2nd ed PDF edition
Financial Metrics Pro (MS Excel)

Download your copies of the business case resources immediately after registering.

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 Business Case, please let us know in writing within 15 days after workshop completion, and we will refund 100% of your workshop fee. Reservations may be cancelled up to 15 days before the workshop, subject to a US$150 cancellation fee. Substitutions may be made at any time up to the start of the workshop.

Registration

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

Online Registration

The links below takes 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 workshop fee.

Register Online for Hong Kong - December 2008
Early bird pricing applies

Registration by Mail or Fax

To register by mail or fax click for printable registration form

For more information please contact:

Mr. Anuar Mohd. Ariff, Managing Director, Solution Matrix Asia Sdn. Bhd. at
anuar@solutionmatrix.com.my
+6012 2010525 Mobile
+603 20394317 Phone

Dr. Marty Schmidt, President, Solution Matrix Ltd., Boston, USA
mschmidt@solutionmatrix.com

Agendas

Building the Business Case (2 Days)

Day 1 Morning (900 - 1200)

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 financial 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 (1200 - 1300)

Day 1 Afternoon (1300 - 1700)

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

Day 2 Morning (900 - 1200)

• Review of Day 1, overview of Day 2

Building the Business Case (Continued)
• Analysing 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
     – Legitimising 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 (1200 - 1300)

Day 2 Afternoon (1300 - 17.00)

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
• Analysing 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

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