SME Development Policy Training Course

Participants can produce an evidence-based diagnosis of constraints affecting priority SME segments.

• Problem trees separating symptoms, proximate causes and structural constraints
• Enterprise survey evidence tested for sample bias and missing segments
• Stakeholder interviews structured with semi-structured guides and triangulation
• Market systems analysis identifies rules, functions and supporting services
• Binding-constraint tests distinguish broad complaints from actionable policy problems
• Diagnostic findings ranked by severity, affected firms and reform feasibility

Participants can define priority SME segments and transparent targeting criteria.

• Lifecycle segmentation separates start-ups, survival firms, growth firms and scale-ups
• Productivity bands identify firms requiring capability support or market access
• Women-owned and youth-owned enterprises assessed without treating groups as homogeneous
• Geographic segmentation compares urban clusters, secondary cities and rural enterprises
• Formalisation status analysed through incentives, enforcement and administrative costs
• Targeting criteria balance need, growth potential, inclusion and verifiability

Participants can select an appropriate mix of SME policy instruments for diagnosed problems.

• Policy instrument typology: regulation, information, finance, services and procurement
• Theory of Change links activities, outputs, outcomes and assumptions
• Additionality tests assess whether public support changes firm behaviour
• Deadweight, displacement and substitution risks assessed before programme approval
• Matching grants designed with cost-sharing, selection and verification rules
• Instrument mixes tested against administrative capacity and fiscal affordability

Participants can assess regulatory barriers and prepare proportionate reform options.

• Regulatory Impact Analysis defines problem, options, costs and consultation evidence
• Business registration journeys mapped from application through operating licences
• Standard Cost Model estimates administrative burdens on small firms
• Risk-based inspection systems replace uniform compliance visits and penalties
• One-stop shop models assessed for authority, interoperability and service standards
• Reform options screened for legal feasibility, implementation cost and distributional effects

Participants can design finance policy responses that address specific market failures.

• Financing gaps distinguished by firm stage, purpose, collateral and risk
• Credit guarantee schemes structured around coverage, fees, claims and recoveries
• OECD Recommendation on SME Financing applied to policy design choices
• Additionality measurement separates induced lending from normal bank lending
• Alternative finance options include factoring, leasing, supply-chain finance and fintech
• Consumer protection and responsible lending safeguards built into SME finance programmes

Participants can specify business development services that respond to verified capability gaps.

• Business development service markets assessed for supply, demand and quality
• Voucher schemes specify provider accreditation, co-payment and redemption controls
• Advisory services segmented by management, technical, financial and digital needs
• Trainer and consultant quality assured through competency standards and feedback
• Graduation pathways move firms from subsidised support toward commercial services
• Service outcomes measured through adoption, sales, productivity and survival indicators

Participants can develop market-access measures while protecting competition and value for money.

• Public procurement barriers analysed through lot sizes, qualification and payment terms
• Set-asides and preferences assessed against competition, cost and capability risks
• Supplier development programmes connect SMEs with anchor firms and standards
• Prompt-payment policies reduce working-capital pressure for small suppliers
• Export readiness support links product standards, logistics and market intelligence
• Market-access indicators track bids, contracts, repeat sales and payment performance

Participants can design SME support for innovation, digital adoption and resource efficiency.

• Innovation policy distinguishes adoption, adaptation, invention and commercialisation
• Technology extension services address diagnostic, demonstration and adoption barriers
• Digital readiness assessments cover connectivity, skills, processes and cyber risks
• Green upgrading incentives target energy efficiency, waste reduction and compliance
• Challenge funds structured with transparent selection, milestones and co-financing
• Technology support avoids subsidising tools without demonstrated business use cases

Participants can integrate inclusion and territorial priorities into SME policy design.

• Gender-responsive policy analysis identifies constraints in assets, time and mobility
• Disability inclusion measures address accessibility, discrimination and service design
• Fragile-area enterprise support accounts for security, displacement and market disruption
• Cluster development maps firms, institutions, infrastructure and shared services
• Local economic development plans align SME action with territorial assets
• Inclusion indicators disaggregate reach, outcomes and unintended exclusion effects

Participants can establish governance arrangements for coordinated and accountable SME policy delivery.

• Delivery chains map authority, funding, implementation and accountability relationships
• RACI matrices assign responsible, accountable, consulted and informed roles
• Interagency coordination mechanisms define decisions, escalation routes and meeting cadence
• Business membership organisations engaged through representation and conflict-of-interest controls
• Service-level agreements specify outputs, quality standards and reporting obligations
• Grievance mechanisms capture complaints, appeals, fraud signals and service failures

Participants can prepare realistic cost estimates and budget structures for SME interventions.

• Activity-based costing separates fixed, variable, administrative and transaction costs
• Unit-cost calculations compare delivery channels and target-group service intensity
• Multi-year budgeting aligns commitments, cash flow and expected programme results
• Fiscal-risk registers identify contingent liabilities from guarantees and subsidies
• Cost-sharing formulas allocate contributions among government, firms and partners
• Budget narratives connect expenditure categories with outputs and policy outcomes

Participants can build a results framework with credible indicators and evaluation arrangements.

• Results chains distinguish inputs, activities, outputs, outcomes and impacts
• SMART indicators specify definitions, sources, frequency, responsibility and disaggregation
• Baseline studies establish starting conditions before major programme disbursements
• Contribution analysis tests plausible links between intervention and enterprise outcomes
• Quasi-experimental methods compared: matching, difference-in-differences and regression discontinuity
• Management dashboards combine delivery data, outcome trends and implementation risks

Participants can specify data arrangements that support SME policy decisions and protect firms.

• Administrative data sources assessed for coverage, quality, timeliness and access
• Unique business identifiers enable matching across registration, tax and support records
• Data dictionaries define indicator fields, classifications, ownership and validation rules
• Privacy-by-design principles limit collection, access, retention and disclosure risks
• Enterprise panels track firm outcomes while managing attrition and respondent burden
• Policy dashboards present trends without masking uncertainty or data limitations

Participants can convert policy commitments into sequenced implementation and review plans.

• Implementation roadmaps sequence legal changes, systems, procurement and service launch
• Critical-path analysis identifies dependencies, lead times and approval bottlenecks
• Risk registers assign owners, mitigations, triggers and review dates
• Pilot design specifies learning questions, target areas and scale decisions
• Adaptive management routines use monitoring evidence for documented course correction
• Communications plans address firms, delivery partners, political leaders and media

Participants can compare SME policy options and prepare a decision-ready submission.

• Multi-criteria analysis scores options against impact, cost, feasibility and equity
• Cost-benefit analysis distinguishes financial returns, economic benefits and transfer payments
• Distributional analysis identifies likely winners, losers and mitigation requirements
• Sensitivity analysis tests assumptions on uptake, costs, default rates and outcomes
• Cabinet-style submissions frame recommendations, alternatives, risks and required decisions
• Briefing notes communicate evidence clearly within senior decision-makers' time constraints

Participants can build, review and present a complete SME development policy package for a defined policy problem.

• Problem statement substantiated with enterprise evidence and stakeholder perspectives
• Priority SME segment defined through transparent targeting and exclusion criteria
• Theory of Change links selected instruments with measurable enterprise outcomes
• Implementation architecture assigns mandates, delivery channels, budget and timetable
• Results framework specifies indicators, baselines, targets, data sources and reviews
• Peer review tests feasibility, additionality, risks, equity and fiscal implications