About this course
Appraisal and evaluation methods used to decide whether a project should go ahead and to judge what it delivered. Covers financial and economic cost-benefit analysis, shadow pricing, discounting, sensitivity and scenario analysis, distributional effects, multi-criteria analysis for non-monetary benefits, and ex-post evaluation that compares actual results with appraisal forecasts.
Why this course
Public bodies and utilities commit large capital budgets on the strength of appraisal reports, yet many appraisals overstate benefits and understate costs and risks. Staff who can test these numbers and evaluate completed projects help the organisation reject weak proposals, defend sound ones before treasury and boards, and learn from past investments.
What delegates will be able to do
By the end of the course, delegates will be able to
- Prepare a cost-benefit analysis that separates financial returns from wider economic costs and benefits
- Apply discounting, NPV, IRR and benefit-cost ratios to compare project alternatives
- Test appraisal results with sensitivity, switching-value and scenario analysis
- Use multi-criteria analysis where important benefits cannot be expressed in money terms
- Design an ex-post evaluation that compares actual outcomes and costs with appraisal forecasts
Who should attend
Project analysts, planning and investment officers, economists, engineers and finance staff who prepare or review project appraisals in government departments, utilities, development finance institutions and larger companies. Delegates should be comfortable with basic financial mathematics and Excel.
How it is delivered
Facilitator-led sessions with worked appraisal examples in Excel, a case study taken from appraisal through to ex-post review, and group critique of real appraisal reports. 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.