Project Appraisals and Impact Evaluations course
Details
Introduction
This course will provides 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.
Outline
The Course Content
Module One: Project Appraisal & Analysis
- The Investment Criteria & The Investment Planning Process
- Identifying Technical, Logistical & Environmental Risks
- Economic Risk Analysis
- Market Risk Analysis
- Selecting Projects to meet Organisational Objectives
Module Two: Financial Analysis
- Estimating Income, Cashflows & Durations
- Identifying Risks from the Projected Cashflow
- Calculating the Cost of Finance – WACC, CAPM & Arbitrage Pricing
- Capital Investment Appraisal Techniques - Payback; ARR, NPV, IRR etc.
- Financial Appraisal using Spreadsheet Skills
Module Three: Project Risk & Uncertainties
- Measuring Risk & Uncertainties
- Project Constraints
- Balancing Scope, Time, Quality & Cost
- Evaluating the Risks & Uncertainties – Their Likelihood & Impact
- Risk Response Planning & 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 & Quantitative Risk Analysis
- Financial Risk Management & Derivatives
- Sensitivity Analysis & Monte Carlo Simulation Analysis
Module Five: Managing Uncertainties
- Decisions Trees to Manage Uncertainties and make Strategic Decisions
- Programming Techniques – Gannt Charts, Network & Critical Path Analysis
- Manpower Planning and Resource Smoothing & Levelling
- Project Contingency Planning
- Earned Value Analysis – Controlling Cost & 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 Implimenting Impact Evaluation
- Terms of reference
- Data sources
- Time and cost