About Better Business Cases Certification
Better Business Cases Certification Overview
Benefits of Better Business Cases Certification
For Individuals
- Access the Five Case Model methodology and become more equipped to both write and review business cases and spending proposals.
- Hone an established methodology that many professionals adapt and apply at strategic (macro) and tactical (micro) levels.
- Explore overlapping best practices for spending proposals like those used in programme and project management.
- Gain a deeper understanding of the types of business cases that exist, who is responsible for them, and when they are required.
- Pursue investment opportunities with a clear approval process that supports more informed decision-making.
For Organizations
- Improves returns on investment (ROI) from change initiatives by focusing on robust business cases and spending proposals.
- Offers a wide range of potential solutions to ensure an optimal balance between benefits, cost, and risks.
- Supports change initiatives by providing a clear need for intervention – whether at a project level or the enterprise level.
- Improves resource allocation by outlining clear value objectives and the necessary arrangements to successfully deliver the proposal.
Useful links
Useful links
-
HM Treasury The Green Book
-
HM Treasury The Green Book Templates and Support Material
-
HM Treasury Project Business Case Guidance
-
HM Treasury Programme Business Case Guidance
Documentation
Documentation
Success in 1 2 3
Over 2.6 million people in 192 countries have an APMG certification. Our certifications are used by 80% of the FTSE 100 and a third of the Fortune 500 and S&P 500, and are proven to deliver better outcomes.
Select your certification
APMG certifications can advance your career, build your confidence and help you transition into a new field. Browse our careers section for inspiration or visit our certification pages for details of what you’ll learn and how you will benefit from certification.
Choose your learning style
APMG is not a training provider. Please contact accredited training organization's listed on our website for prices and dates. Alternatively, you can self-study for an exam directly through APMG.
Pass the exam & receive a certificate
When you are ready to take your exam, book an online timeslot yourself with APMG, or your training organization may organize this for you. If you pass your exam APMG will issue you with a digital badge for you to share!
Better Business Cases Certification levels
Ready to start your learning journey?
Choose a Training Organization
APMG accredits Training Organizations (ATOs) to make sure they are delivering our products and certifications to high standards.
Buy a training course and exam through one of our Training Organizations below.
Self-study
Buy your book and exam from APMG
Training organizations for Better Business Cases Certification
Testimonials
I found the Better Business Case Practitioner training with Sue Stockley and her team both enjoyable and invaluable. Their enthusiasm and expertise made the sessions highly engaging, and the learning has proved essential in my role leading the development of a new hospital. It has strengthened my understanding of the Treasury’s Green Book guidance and enabled me to ensure our business cases are robust, evidence-based and aligned to best practice.
The UK government requires that all officials who are engaged in developing, reviewing or approving spending proposals must receive training and accreditation (certification) through the Better Business Cases programme.
Videos
Videos
SFIA
This APMG certification has been informally mapped against the SFIA Framework to indicate the skills that are addressed and referenced by the certification. Although it is not yet possible to claim this digital badge, the indicative skills can be used to plan your professional development through assessing the skills you have and the skills you need for the role you want.
knowledge
Better Business Cases Foundation
Generic attribute Knowledge up to level 3, Feasibility Assessment level 3
Same as above plus Feasibility Assessment level 4, Methods and Tools level 3
knowledge
Better Business Cases Practitioner
Generic attribute Knowledge up to level 3, Feasibility Assessment up to level 4
Same as above plus Methods and Tools up to level 4
knowledge
Better Business Cases Foundation
Generic attribute Knowledge up to level 3, Feasibility Assessment level 3
Same as above plus Feasibility Assessment level 4, Methods and Tools level 3
knowledge
Better Business Cases Practitioner
Generic attribute Knowledge up to level 3, Feasibility Assessment up to level 4
Same as above plus Methods and Tools up to level 4
Related products
FAQs
Training for our Better Business Cases examinations is available from the network of Accredited Training Organizations (ATOs) who are assessed and certified by APMG-International.
Only these organizations and registered partners/affiliates are authorized to deliver APMG-International Better Business Cases training.
The Better Business Cases examinations are currently available in English only. Translations will be progressed subject to market demand.
Training courses and examinations are based on the ‘International Guide to Developing the Project Business Case’ and the ‘International Guide to Developing the Programme Business Case’, which are centred around the Five Case Model. The Five Case Model is the UK government’s best practice approach to planning spending proposals and enabling effective business decisions. The Guidance documents are available to download free of charge from the Gov.UK website.
For individuals self-studying it is very difficult to say. As all candidates have different experience and amount of time available for study, it varies from person to person. We suggest you review the guidance before deciding how long you need to spend learning.
For those studying with an ATO, Foundation courses are generally delivered over 2-3 days, with Practitioner courses adding a further 1-2 days. It is well worth investigating with individual providers, as many will offer tailored and blended learning solutions.
No, the updates to the Green Book in 2020 do not have any impact on the Better Business Cases exams. There are currently no plans to update the exams to reflect any changes made to the 2020 version of the Green Book.
The Foundation and Practitioner qualifications are not valid for a defined period and will not expire.
The Better Business Cases approach is currently popular in the UK and New Zealand public sectors. The scheme is relevant to all sectors though, and we anticipate growth in a range of industries as the scheme grows in popularity.
There are a number of training courses available on how to write business cases. Additionally, there are various professional bodies that run courses on topics such as investment appraisal (e.g. CIPFA accountancy body course). However, none of those that we have reviewed seem to be based on specific guidance or internationally recognized best practice.
- Provisional results: After completing the Foundation examination, candidates may receive provisional results either orally from the invigilator or on-screen at the end of an online exam.
- Official results: Once processed, official results, including a PDF breakdown of marks by syllabus area, are available in the APMG Candidate Portal. Results are issued as the total number of marks achieved.
- Processing time: Exam papers are usually marked immediately after the exam. APMG formally processes and confirms results via the Candidate Portal within 2 working days of receiving completed papers.
- Outstanding payments: In exceptional cases, results may be withheld until full payment has been received.
Once you’ve been notified that you’ve passed your exam, you will have the option to create a digital badge in APMG's Candidate Portal.
Visit APMG's Candidate Portal, view your exam results and select 'Create Badge'.
This takes you to the Credly website where the digital badges are hosted. You will be guided through the Credly account creation process.
Once you have created an account with Credly, log into the account and accept your pending badge.