Project Appraisals and Impact Evaluations Course

This course will provide you with the essential knowledge and skills to effectively appraise and analyse projects. It provides you with the latest tools and techniques to manage project risks and uncertainties to ensure profit margins and sustainability in uncertain times. It will in more advanced level cover econometric impact evaluation theory and empirical methods for measuring the impact of development programs (including randomization, difference-in-differences, regression discontinuity, and propensity score matching). It will combine theory and practice. The primary objectives of the course is to provide participants with the skills to understand the value and practice of impact evaluation within development economics, design and implement impact evaluations and act as critical consumers of impact evaluations.

Course Objective:

• Undertake, Technical, Economic, Financial and Risk Analysis to select Projects to meet National and Organisational Objectives
• Undertake Financial Analysis using Payback, NPV and IRR
• Identifying and Measuring Risk and Uncertainties
• Evaluate and Manage Risks using the latest tools and techniques
• Manage Uncertainties using Decisions Trees, Programming Techniques – Gannt Charts, Network and Critical Path Analysis, Manpower Planning, Contingency Planning and Earned
• Identifying if project is working or not, impact evaluation will assist accountability function. This course is aligned with results-based management and monitoring.

Who should attend?

This course targets Project Management Officials from NGO’s, National Statistics Offices, Education Researchers, Government ministries, National Institutes and Planning Ministries, Central banks, and University Researchers among others

The Course Content

Module One:  Project Appraisal and Analysis

• The Investment Criteria and The Investment Planning Process
• Identifying Technical, Logistical and Environmental Risks
• Economic Risk Analysis
• Market Risk Analysis
• Selecting Projects to meet Organisational Objectives

Module Two: Financial Analysis

• Estimating Income, Cashflows and Durations
• Identifying Risks from the Projected Cashflow
• Calculating the Cost of Finance – WACC, CAPM and Arbitrage Pricing
• Capital Investment Appraisal Techniques - Payback; ARR, NPV, IRR etc.
• Financial Appraisal using Spreadsheet Skills

Module Three: Project Risk and Uncertainties

• Measuring Risk and Uncertainties
• Project Constraints
• Balancing Scope, Time, Quality and Cost
• Evaluating the Risks and Uncertainties – Their Likelihood and Impact
• Risk Response Planning and Reporting

Module Four: Risk Management

• The Risk Management Process at various levels of an organization and throughout the Project Life Cycle
• The Project Manager’s Roles and Responsibilities
• Qualitative and Quantitative Risk Analysis
• Financial Risk Management and Derivatives
• Sensitivity Analysis and Monte Carlo Simulation Analysis

Module Five: Managing Uncertainties

• Decisions Trees to Manage Uncertainties and make Strategic Decisions
• Programming Techniques – Gannt Charts, Network and Critical Path Analysis
• Manpower Planning and Resource Smoothing and Levelling
• Project Contingency Planning
• Earned Value Analysis – Controlling Cost and Schedule Variances

Module six: Cost benefit analysis

• The effect on decision-making of more intangible benefits
• Cost benefit analysis
• Ensuring costs are genuine
• Measuring intangible benefits
• Environmental issues
• Consideration of intangible benefits in the appraisal decision-making process

Module seven: Developing appropriate models

• Developing models – examples of spreadsheet models and measures for many different situations
• Modelling investment opportunities – summarising outcomes
• Sensitivity analysis – identifying, quantifying and taking out risk

Module Eight: Developing an appraisal process

• The process – managing risk from the outset
• Using the process in risk management, negotiating and project management
• Take out risk by thoroughly knowing your project – developing your own process

Module Nine: Introduction to impact evaluation

• Introduction
• Counterfactual
• Purpose of impact evaluation
• When to undertake impact evaluation

Module Ten: Evaluation Design

• Establishing the program theory
• Selecting the evaluation approach
• Designing the baseline survey
• Options when there is no baseline
• Impact evaluation using secondary data
• The role of qualitative information
• Triangulation
• Generalizations from specific impact evaluations

Module Eleven: Managing and Implementing Impact Evaluation

• Terms of reference
• Data sources
• Time and cost

Note

• All our courses can be Tailor-made to participants needs
• Course duration is flexible, and the contents can be modified to fit any number of days.
• Presentations are well guided, practical exercise, web-based tutorials and group work. Our facilitators are expert with more than 10years of experience.
• One-year free Consultation and Coaching provided after the course.