SBS Endorsed – Proposing, Selecting, and Managing Initiatives

Program Overview

Many organisations launch more initiatives than they can deliver, spreading budgets and people thinly. This programme covers the full initiative lifecycle: writing a persuasive proposal and business case, evaluating and prioritising competing initiatives through portfolio criteria, scoring models and capacity checks, and then managing approved initiatives through governance, stage gates, benefits tracking and timely termination when value disappears. It draws on recognised portfolio and programme management practice, including the PMI Standard for Portfolio Management, and is applied to strategic initiative portfolios typical of Gulf government entities and companies delivering national vision programmes.

Learning Outcomes

• ✓Write an initiative proposal with problem statement, objectives, options, costs, benefits and risks.
• ✓Build a weighted scoring model that ranks initiatives against strategic alignment, value, risk and feasibility.
• ✓Balance an initiative portfolio against available budget and resource capacity.
• ✓Define stage-gate criteria and governance roles for approving, continuing or stopping initiatives.
• ✓Develop a benefits realisation plan with measurable benefits, owners and tracking dates.
• ✓Produce a portfolio status report that highlights interdependencies, risks and decisions required.

Target Audience

• Strategy management and project management office staff
• Initiative owners and programme managers
• Department heads proposing budgets for new initiatives
• Finance and planning officers involved in investment decisions

Detailed Program Modules

Training Methodology

Applied Project & Assessment