About this course
Senior officials work through the full policy cycle, from problem definition and evidence gathering to options appraisal, costing, regulatory impact assessment, consultation and the drafting of cabinet or board submissions. The course also deals with managing policy teams, aligning policy with budgets and strategic plans, and setting up monitoring so that policies can be reviewed against results.
Why this course
Policies that are poorly defined, uncosted or unsupported by evidence often stall at implementation or create unintended costs. Senior managers are responsible both for the quality of advice to political principals and for the delivery that follows. Stronger policy management produces decisions that are affordable, defensible and easier to implement.
What delegates will be able to do
By the end of the course, delegates will be able to
- Define a policy problem and its root causes using available evidence
- Appraise policy options against cost, impact, feasibility and risk
- Prepare a cabinet memorandum or board submission with a clear recommendation
- Align a new policy with the budget, strategic plan and operational plans
- Set indicators and a review schedule for monitoring policy results
Who should attend
Directors, heads of department, chief directors, policy advisers and senior managers in ministries, provincial and local government, regulators and state-owned enterprises. Delegates should have several years of management experience.
How it is delivered
Seminar-style sessions, policy case studies from African governments, and group work developing a policy submission on an issue from delegates' own institutions. It is available as a public course, in-house at your premises, or as live virtual sessions. Duration and dates are confirmed in your quote, and in-house groups can have the examples and exercises fitted to their organisation.