265 Decision Making courses delivered Live Online

Better Business Cases™ Foundation and Practitioner Using this best-practice approach will allow organizations to reduce unnecessary spending and improve the decision-making process which gives you a greater chance of securing necessary funding and support for initiatives. The goal of the combined foundation and practitioner course is to develop a candidate's ability to deliver a comprehensive business case through encouraging expanded knowledge to guide the practical application of theoretical foundations. Upon the completion of this course, a candidate will be able to start applying the model to a real business case development project. The outline presented in the course overview will be addressed in the first 2 days, with the Foundation exam conducted on the morning of Day 3. Then the topics will be revisited at a deeper level, for 2 more days, with the Practitioner exam conducted on the afternoon of Day 5. What you will Learn At the end of this program, you will be able to: Develop the lifecycle of a business case and establish the relationships between the five cases Apply the steps in the business case development framework, in order to support the production of a business case, using the Five Case Model, for a given scenario. 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 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 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, constraints, and dependencies Exploring the Preferred Way Forward Agree on critical success factors Determine long list options and SWOT analysis Recommend a preferred way forward 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 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 Ascertaining Affordability and Funding Requirement Prepare the financial model Prepare the financial appraisals Planning for Successful Delivery Plan programme / project management Plan change and contract management Plan benefits realization Plan risk management Plan programme / project assurance and post-project evaluation 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) Contracting for the Deal Set out the negotiated deal and contractual arrangements Set out the financial implications of the deal Ensuring Successful Delivery Finalize project management arrangements and plans Finalize change management arrangements and plans Finalize benefits realization arrangements and plans Finalize risk management arrangements and plans Finalize contract management arrangements and plans Finalize post-project evaluation arrangements and plans

Understand what diversity and inclusion is and how to manage it affectively in the workplace. Course overview Duration: 1 day (6.5 hours) Diversity and Inclusion in the workplace will help you develop an understanding of why diversity and inclusion is important to a business, what it is and how individuals and teams can work effectively together and harness the power that comes from valuing diversity and promoting inclusion. Objectives  By the end of the course you will be able to: Describe why diversity and inclusion is important in teams and organisations Explain and overcome unconscious bias and other beliefs that cause exclusion and impact the workplace Recognise your own diversity and understand the value of diversity and inclusion in teams Develop an Action Plan to create an inclusive work climate Content Understand Diversity and Inclusion What the Equality Act 2010 says about diversity Understanding protected characteristics Learn how to create an optimum climate to unlock the power of a diverse teams Understanding Yourself and Unconscious Bias Identify your own unique characteristics and how these could impact your performance Examine self-limiting beliefs and how these can impact personal performance Experience how unconscious bias impacts our information gathering, problem solving, judgement and decision making Creating a Diverse and Inclusive Team Climate Understand the importance of respect, the role of trust and what valuing diversity really means Apply the ABC Model to the creation of a diverse climate:Awareness – be alert, self-aware and aware of othersBoundaries – understand how things can go wrong when working with others: boundaries, banter and bullyingCoaching – learn listening and coaching skills to promote inclusion Create an achievable, personal action plan that can be applied immediately in the workplace to improve diversity, promote teaming and create an inclusive work climate

In today's competitive business world firms are under unprecedented pressure to deliver value to their shareholders and other key stakeholders. Senior executives in all parts of the organisation are finding that they need some degree of financial know how to cope with the responsibility placed on them as business managers and key decision-makers; monitoring and improving business performance, investing in capital projects, mergers and acquisitions: all require some degree of financial knowledge. The key financial skills are not as difficult to learn as many people believe and in the hands of an experienced senior executive they can provide a formidable competitive advantage. After completing this course delegates will be able to: Understand fundamental business finance concepts; understand, analyse and interpret financial statements: Profit Statement, Balance Sheet and Cashflow Statement Understand the vital difference between profit and cashflow; identify the key components of working capital and how they can be managed to generate strong cashflow Evaluate pricing decisions based on an understanding of the nature of business costs and their impact on gross margin and break-even sales; managing pricing, discounts and costs to generate strong business profits; understand how lean manufacturing methods improve profit Use powerful analytical tools to measure and improve the performance of their own company and assess the effectiveness of their competitors Apply and interpret techniques for assessing and comparing investment opportunities in capital projects, business acquisitions and other ventures; understand and apply common methods of business valuation Understand the role of business finance in formulating and implementing competitive business strategy; the role of budgeting as part of the planning process and the various approaches to budgeting and performance measurement 1 Basic principles Delivering value to key stakeholders Accounting concepts, GAAP, IFRS and common terms Understanding and using the balance sheet Understanding and using the profit statement Recognising the vital difference between profit and cashflow Understanding and using the cashflow statement What financial statements can and cannot tell us 2 Managing and improving cashflow Sources of finance and their advantages and disadvantages What is working capital and why is it so important? Managing stocks, debtors and creditors Understanding how working capital drives business growth Understanding and avoiding the over-trading trap Unlocking the funds tied up in fixed assets: asset backed loans and leasing 3 Managing and improving profit Understanding how profits generate cashflow The fundamental nature of costs: fixed and variable business costs Understanding gross margin and break-even How common pricing methods affect gross margin and profit Effective strategies to improve gross margin Using value chain analysis to reduce costs Lean manufacturing methodsUnderstanding Just-in-time, 6 Sigma and Kaizen methods Improving profitEffective and defective strategies 4 Measuring and managing business performance Measures of financial performance and strength Investor behaviour: the risk and reward relationship Return on investment (ROI): the ultimate measure of business performance How profit margin and net asset turnover drive return on net assets Why some companies are more profitable that others Understanding competitive advantage: cost and differentiation advantage Why great companies failWhat happened to Kodak? Using a 'Pyramid of Ratios' to improve business performance Using Critical Success Factors to develop Key Performance Indicators 5 Budgeting and forecasting methods Using budgets to support strategy Objectives and methods for effective budgets Using budgets to monitor and manage business performance Alternative approaches to budgeting Developing and implementing Balanced Scorecards Beyond Budgeting Forecasting methods and techniques Identifying key business drivers Using rolling forecasts and 'what-if' models to aid decision-making

Women in Local Government Leadership Workshop is for Local Government professionals looking to learn new skills with like-minded peers and further or advance their within Local government.

Course Overview This course on "Capital Budgeting & Investment Decision Rules" provides a comprehensive foundation in the key concepts and techniques used in evaluating long-term investments. Covering fundamental methods such as Net Present Value (NPV), Payback Period, and Internal Rate of Return (IRR), the course explores how businesses make critical decisions on capital allocation. Learners will gain a deep understanding of the tools used to assess the financial viability of projects, ensuring they can apply these methods in real-world situations. This course is designed to equip professionals with the knowledge to evaluate investment opportunities effectively and contribute to strategic decision-making. Course Description The "Capital Budgeting & Investment Decision Rules" course delves into essential financial decision-making techniques used by organisations to evaluate potential investments. Topics include the NPV method, Payback Period, IRR, and how to assess projects with varying timelines. Learners will explore the advantages and limitations of each method and understand their applications in different business contexts. The course also covers the evaluation of projects with different durations and how to select the best investment strategies to achieve organisational goals. Through this learning experience, participants will acquire the analytical skills necessary to make informed capital budgeting decisions, ultimately strengthening their financial decision-making acumen. Course Modules Module 01: Introduction Module 02: NPV Method Module 03: Payback Period Method Module 04: Internal Rate of Return (IRR) Module 05: Evaluating Projects in Different Lives Module 06: Conclusion (See full curriculum) Who is this course for? Individuals seeking to understand capital budgeting methods. Professionals aiming to enhance their financial analysis skills. Beginners with an interest in finance and investment decision-making. Anyone looking to develop their knowledge in investment evaluation techniques. Career Path Financial Analyst Investment Analyst Corporate Finance Professional Project Manager Risk Manager Business Consultant

Course Overview: "Financial Ratio Analysis for Business Decisions" equips learners with essential tools to analyse financial statements effectively, enabling better business decision-making. The course introduces key financial ratios such as profitability, return, liquidity, and operational ratios, providing valuable insights into a company's financial health. By understanding these ratios, learners can evaluate business performance, assess risks, and make informed decisions in various business contexts. The course is designed to enhance the financial acumen of professionals across sectors, equipping them with the analytical skills needed to drive strategic decisions and improve financial outcomes. Learners will gain a comprehensive understanding of how financial ratios influence corporate strategy, with an emphasis on real-world application in business operations and decision-making. Course Description: This course covers a range of financial ratios essential for making informed business decisions. Learners will explore profitability ratios, return ratios, liquidity ratios, and operational analysis, learning how to interpret and use these metrics to evaluate a company's performance. The curriculum also delves into identifying potential financial manipulations and understanding how these impact decision-making. By completing the course, learners will gain a solid understanding of financial ratio analysis and its role in assessing the strengths and weaknesses of an organisation's financial health. The course is designed for professionals across industries looking to enhance their financial literacy and analytical skills, preparing them to make confident, data-driven decisions. Learners will benefit from structured content, expert-led discussions, and industry-specific case studies that help contextualise theoretical concepts. Course Modules: Module 01: Introduction Overview of Financial Ratios Importance of Ratio Analysis in Decision-Making Key Terminology and Definitions Module 02: Profitability Understanding Profit Margin Ratios Gross Profit Margin Net Profit Margin Return on Assets (ROA) and Return on Equity (ROE) Module 03: Return Ratio Definition and Importance of Return Ratios Return on Investment (ROI) Economic Value Added (EVA) Evaluating Business Performance Module 04: Liquidity Ratio Importance of Liquidity Ratios in Business Current Ratio Quick Ratio Cash Flow Analysis Module 05: Operational Analysis Efficiency Ratios Asset Turnover Inventory and Receivables Management Module 06: Detecting Manipulations And Making Other Operational Decisions Identifying Financial Statement Manipulations Fraud Detection Techniques Making Operational Decisions Based on Financial Data (See full curriculum) Who is this course for? Individuals seeking to improve their financial decision-making skills. Professionals aiming to enhance their understanding of financial performance metrics. Beginners with an interest in business finance and financial analysis. Business analysts and managers looking to gain deeper insights into financial health. Career Path: Financial Analyst Business Analyst Investment Analyst Finance Manager Management Consultant Risk Manager Corporate Strategy Analyst

Introduction to AI for Business

Duration 5 Days 30 CPD hours This course is intended for The skills covered in this course converge on four areas-software development, IT operations, applied math and statistics, and business analysis. Target students for this course should be looking to build upon their knowledge of the data science process so that they can apply AI systems, particularly machine learning models, to business problems. So, the target student is likely a data science practitioner, software developer, or business analyst looking to expand their knowledge of machine learning algorithms and how they can help create intelligent decisionmaking products that bring value to the business. A typical student in this course should have several years of experience with computing technology, including some aptitude in computer programming. This course is also designed to assist students in preparing for the CertNexus Certified Artificial Intelligence (AI) Practitioner (Exam AIP-210) certification Overview In this course, you will develop AI solutions for business problems. You will: Solve a given business problem using AI and ML. Prepare data for use in machine learning. Train, evaluate, and tune a machine learning model. Build linear regression models. Build forecasting models. Build classification models using logistic regression and k -nearest neighbor. Build clustering models. Build classification and regression models using decision trees and random forests. Build classification and regression models using support-vector machines (SVMs). Build artificial neural networks for deep learning. Put machine learning models into operation using automated processes. Maintain machine learning pipelines and models while they are in production Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) have become essential parts of the toolset for many organizations. When used effectively, these tools provide actionable insights that drive critical decisions and enable organizations to create exciting, new, and innovative products and services. This course shows you how to apply various approaches and algorithms to solve business problems through AI and ML, all while following a methodical workflow for developing data-driven solutions. Solving Business Problems Using AI and ML Topic A: Identify AI and ML Solutions for Business Problems Topic B: Formulate a Machine Learning Problem Topic C: Select Approaches to Machine Learning Preparing Data Topic A: Collect Data Topic B: Transform Data Topic C: Engineer Features Topic D: Work with Unstructured Data Training, Evaluating, and Tuning a Machine Learning Model Topic A: Train a Machine Learning Model Topic B: Evaluate and Tune a Machine Learning Model Building Linear Regression Models Topic A: Build Regression Models Using Linear Algebra Topic B: Build Regularized Linear Regression Models Topic C: Build Iterative Linear Regression Models Building Forecasting Models Topic A: Build Univariate Time Series Models Topic B: Build Multivariate Time Series Models Building Classification Models Using Logistic Regression and k-Nearest Neighbor Topic A: Train Binary Classification Models Using Logistic Regression Topic B: Train Binary Classification Models Using k-Nearest Neighbor Topic C: Train Multi-Class Classification Models Topic D: Evaluate Classification Models Topic E: Tune Classification Models Building Clustering Models Topic A: Build k-Means Clustering Models Topic B: Build Hierarchical Clustering Models Building Decision Trees and Random Forests Topic A: Build Decision Tree Models Topic B: Build Random Forest Models Building Support-Vector Machines Topic A: Build SVM Models for Classification Topic B: Build SVM Models for Regression Building Artificial Neural Networks Topic A: Build Multi-Layer Perceptrons (MLP) Topic B: Build Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) Topic C: Build Recurrent Neural Networks (RNN) Operationalizing Machine Learning Models Topic A: Deploy Machine Learning Models Topic B: Automate the Machine Learning Process with MLOps Topic C: Integrate Models into Machine Learning Systems Maintaining Machine Learning Operations Topic A: Secure Machine Learning Pipelines Topic B: Maintain Models in Production

Our training programme will provide those involved at any stage of the process for procuring goods and/or services within their organisations with the knowledge and skillset to identify and mitigate the threat posed by the breadth and multi-layered complexity of procurement fraud, corruption and associated financial crime and money laundering.

This very practical two-day workshop analyses the content and implications of key MoD terms and conditions of contract. The programme explains the principles and terminology of the contractual aspects of defence procurement as well as considering a number of relevant policies and initiatives. The course covers key components, constructs and methodologies associated with any commercial venture entered into with the UK MoD. Starting at the MoD organisational level the workshop sets the scene by looking at the acquisition process and organisation, detailing the various roles and responsibilities of MoD personnel. The workshop provides an in-depth examination of MoD DEFCONs and many narrative terms, setting them in the context of the organisation and its structures. The workshop helps participants to gain an understanding of the content and purpose of the range of MoD DEFCONs and narrative conditions commonly used throughout the acquisition lifecycle. It includes a review of Part 2 of the Defence Reform Act 2014 regarding Single Source Pricing, which comes into effect in 2015 and is already starting to be applied to significant contracts. On completion of this programme the participants will understand the terminology associated with the MoD terms and conditions of contract and will have an accurate view of their relevance, usage and their legal basis and how they can affect contractual and commercial decision-making. They will have gained an insight into defence acquisition contracting and they will be more commercially aware. DAY ONE 1 The commercial environment Key roles and responsibilities of the MoD organisations at the heart of the acquisition process 2 Tendering to MoD An appraisal of some of the obligations placed upon contractors when they are submitting a proposal to the MoD pre-contract 3 Standardised contracting MoD have introduced non-negotiable standardised contracts for certain levels of procurement. This section considers their use and relevance to defence contracting 4 Pricing, profit, post-costing and payment The parameters specific to a costing structure and the differences between competitive and non-competitive bidding The role of the QMAC, the profit formula, the requirements for equality of information and post-costing Different types of pricing and issues surrounding payment 5 Defence Reform Act - Single Source Pricing Single Source Pricing under Part 2 of the new Defence Reform Act Changes from the existing position, how contractors are affected and the compliance regime that accompanies the new requirements 6 Delivery and acceptance Specific requirements and the significance and impact of failing to meet them Acceptance plans Non-performance and the remedies that may be applied by the Customer - breach of contract, liquidated damages and force majeure DAY TWO 7 Protection of information and IPR Contractor's and MoD's rights to own and use information How to identify background and foreground intellectual property Technical information and copyright in documentation and software How to protect IPR at the various stages of the bidding and contracting process 8 Defence Transformation and Defence Commercial Directorate Widening and increasing roles and functions of the Defence Commercial Directorate Background to the Defence Reform Act 2014 9 Legal requirements Terms used in MoD contracts to reflect basic legal requirements Records and materials required for MOD contracts and therefore the obligations, responsibilities and liabilities that a company undertakes when it accepts these conditions Overseas activities 10 Subcontracting and flowdown Understanding the constructs required by the MoD for subcontracting Which terms must be flowed down to the subcontractor and which are discretionary 11 Termination Termination of a contract for default Termination for convenience How to optimise the company's position on termination 12 Warranties and liabilities Obligations and liabilities a company might incur and how they might be mitigated MoD policy on indemnities and limits of liability 13 Electronic contracting environment Electronic forms of contracting Progress toward a fully electronic contracting environment