The TOP Value Equation™ Certification Program  

The Value Equation Certification provides an intensive, practical 3-day introduction to TOP and the TOP Value Equation™.

This course is for:

• Business executives at all levels who are shaping and implementing strategy through change projects.
• Projects and technical delivery professionals who wish to partner effectively with the business to deliver real value from projects.
• Portfolio Managers accoutable for optimising the overall project portfolio.

The content is equally applicable to those within an organisation or external advisors providing mentoring services.

What you will learn

During the three intense days, you will learn the principles, mental models, tools and techniques which underpin the TOP Value Equation.

You will apply a Value Equation to a real case study - or you can "bring your own project" so that you can leave the course with valuable insights that you can apply immediately to get results.

DAY 1- Major Concepts 

1. Understanding why there is a need for a new approach for Projects:

This segment introduces the "project problem" and why is it that the orthodox solutions tried over the last three decades have failed to improve business results and value delivered by projects.

2. An overview to the Value Equation principles and elements:

We outline the rationale for the Value Equation and introduces its key elements:

Desired business outcomes, Benefits, Value, Value Drivers and Change Activities.

3. How to define Desired Outcome Statements:

Desired Outcome statements articulate in clear, specific, measurable terms what your project (business initiative or strategy) is intending to achieve; the future operational business-as-usual states realized after the end of the project when everything is working ‘just right’.

Learning just this step alone can transform your projects and provide the basis for easy communication with the business.

4. Understanding Path Dependency:

What is Path Dependency and why is it so critical to successful project delivery?

How does Path Dependency relate to Critical Path?

How to define an Outcomes Dependency Roadmap to graphically illustrate how and in what sequence the outcomes (and their benefits) need to be delivered.

How to craft the Roadmap Narrative which together with the diagram explains clearly what the journey to the future looks like.

The Roadmap and Narrative gives you control over any scope changes as you can trace the immediate and downstream impacts in order to protect the business value to be delivered. It also enables you to track without any additional work when each set of benefits will be delivered.

DAY 2 - Practical details

5. How to identify and maximise Benefits:

How to identify all the business benefits that will come from the delivery of the desired business outcomes, with specific processes designed to maximize the number and value of the benefits identified.

This step alone can double or more the identified value of the benefits for your projects, making project-justification simple and straightforward.

6. How to quantify the value of Financial Benefits:

How to build a financial value model in a standardised way so that base value can be verified and their ongoing value can be tracked and measured throughout the project and beyond.

How to track and monitor the model so that the up-to-date value of each benefit (and project) is known and any action required to protect the value can be taken.

This step enables you to easily know at any one time the up-to-date value of each benefit and the project as a whole.

DAY 3 - Execution

7. How to identify the required Change Activities:

How to systematically identify and structure the Change Activities required to move the organization from its current state to its desired future state (as defined by the business outcomes) and reap the available benefits.

This step repositions the project as the principal benefits delivery vehicle as it can now plan to deliver the required changes and, thereby, enable the benefits to be delivered.

8. How to gain further value by leveraging the value of the Value Equation.

How you can use your Value Equation at different levels and different project stages. 

At the Project level, you can build a Value Equation to:

• • define a common language between the business sponsors and the project team or technical delivery team so that everyone is “on the same page”;
  • make ‘benefits management’ work, so that it is clear to all stakeholders and everyone who has a role to play in the project delivery process, what the project benefits are and how these will be delivered - by which project activities and business activities;
  • justify a project that is clearly important for the long-term future of the business when the numbers just "don't seem to stack up”;
  • understand the root causes for problem projects so that you can develop a remediation plan;
  • switch from a cost-based project-control mind and skillset to a value-based strategy and project-success mind and skill set.

At the Business or Strategic level, you can apply the  Value Equation to:

• • develop clear business cases for all the projects in your portfolio;
  • develop a business plan for a new business or business unit;
  • develop or validate a strategy for a business.

You can even use the Value Equation on a personal level to:

• • plan personal goals
  • develop a career plan to become a "TOP" professional in your field.

The TOP Value Equation is the most powerful tool in the "project success toolbox".

Once you develop a Value Equation for a project or strategy, you will be able to:

• Define in clear, specific measurable language - exactly what it is you are trying to achieve with ANY project, business initiative (or even a personal goal). What the future looks like when everything is working "just right".
• Define the benefits of achieving your outcomes, and then their $Value and the value drivers which control the value.
• Define ALL of the changes required to realize the outcomes, benefits and value.
• Understand the nature of your project's Path Dependency, which shows clearly how the outcomes are linked and what crucial decisions can either increase or permanently destroy value. By defining the Outcomes Path Dependency Roadmap, you will see clearly where you should start with the project to get the most leverage and what sequence you should work to maximise early delivery of benefits and value.
• Make decisions on the project with the full knowledge of their impacts on the project’s outcomes and value.
• See a real increase in the value of the benefits delivered from your projects.
• Track the value of the benefits throughout the project and the value actually ‘banked.
• Resolve ‘hard to justify’ projects because you can identify the maximum benefits to easily justify the project’s investment cost.
• Shift the focus of your projects from delivering ‘outputs’ or ‘capabilities’ to delivering real, usable, working business outcomes/end states - what the business really wants.
• Plan all the changes and workload required to achieve your desired business outcomes and benefits (rather than just plan the project’s workload). The business then knows what it must do to deliver its desired results.
• Control the impact on your project, its outcomes and benefits, of decisions made on and off the project.

Additionally...

• A Project Manager. You will be able to clarify and understand what it is that your Sponsor and Steering Committee is trying to achieve, so that you can plan and align your project to deliver it.
• A Sponsor or Steering Committee member. You will be able to clearly articulate what you want your project to achieve, so that you can then provide the clear direction and leadership to the project team.
• An Advisor. You will be able to deliver real value to clients. This training will give you the tools and techniques you can use to coach clients through the Value Equation process and to accelerate their own learning and ownership of the results.

After successfully passing the 50-question multiple-choice exam, you will be entitled to add TOP Value Equation Certified Practitioner to your CV and profile.

We will also add your details to the list of Certified Practitioners on the TOP website.

You will also have your own worked end-to-end case example on the project or business initiative that you bring to the course.