Investment Management Standard
Building the capability to make better investment decisions and realise better investment outcomes.
Fankhauser & Associates is the only provider officially approved by the Victorian Department of Treasury and Finance (DTF) to deliver Investment Management Standard (IMS) training across Australia and New Zealand.
Whether you're developing your own expertise or strengthening capability across your organisation, the Investment Management Standard provides a practical, proven framework for defining investment problems, shaping stronger business cases, prioritising investments and realising measurable benefits. It equips leaders, practitioners and teams with the capability to make more confident, evidence-based investment decisions and improve investment outcomes.
What is the Investment Management Standard (IMS) and Why Does it Matter?
Every organisation makes investment decisions that shape its future. Whether investing in infrastructure, technology, services, programs or policy, making the right decisions requires more than good intentions—it requires the capability to define problems clearly, evaluate opportunities objectively and direct resources to where they deliver the greatest value.
The Investment Management Standard (IMS) is a practical, proven framework that develops this capability. It enables professionals, leaders and organisations to make more confident, evidence-based investment decisions by providing a consistent approach to defining investment problems, identifying measurable benefits, evaluating strategic responses and developing stronger business cases.
As governments, businesses and not-for-profit organisations face increasing financial, social and workforce pressures, the IMS provides a robust framework to strengthen investment capability and support better investment outcomes. Organisations use the IMS to:
Develop stronger, evidence-based business cases
Shape programs and policies that deliver measurable benefits
Prioritise competing investments with greater confidence
Improve strategic planning and investment decision-making
Monitor investment performance and realise intended benefits
Strengthen organisational capability and improve investment governance
At its core, the IMS defines an investment as "the commitment of an organisation's resources with the expectation of receiving a benefit." By embedding IMS into everyday practice, individuals and organisations build the capability to make better investment decisions, respond to changing priorities and deliver greater value from every investment.
Investment Management Principles and IMS Training
The Investment Management Standard (IMS) is built on a practical set of principles that provide a structured approach to investment planning and decision-making. These principles underpin every official IMS course delivered by Fankhauser & Associates—the only provider approved by the Victorian Department of Treasury and Finance (DTF) to deliver official IMS training across Australia and New Zealand.
The IMS is taught through a proven series of facilitated workshops that progressively develop participants' understanding and practical application of the methodology:
Problem Definition – Define the investment problem and establish a shared understanding of the issues.
Benefit Definition – Identify the measurable benefits and key performance indicators that define success.
Response Definition – Evaluate strategic response options and identify the preferred response before committing to a project solution.
Solution Definition – Develop the preferred solution and establish a clear pathway to delivery.
Whether you're developing your own expertise or strengthening capability across your organisation, this structured approach builds practical skills that can be applied across initiatives of any scale—from individual projects to complex programs, portfolios and organisational transformation.
The IMS consists of four structured, 2-hour workshops that follow a consistent line of enquiry, progressively guiding participants from defining the investment problem through to identifying the preferred solution.
