This course is an introduction to the workflows and technology employed by investment management professionals. It covers essential topics such as portfolio management functional requirements, compliance system considerations, firm/desk/book routing instructions, and performance analysis reporting. The course is designed for individuals looking to gain a thorough understanding of the investment management process through the use of frameworks and practical applications. Each week includes readings and real world examples to enhance understanding and application of the concepts.

• Explore: Motivation for a budget, expense tracking and selecting a platform adequate for desired growth.

• Discuss: Personal investing objectives that align values with financial goals using filtered criteria (ethical strategies ie- ESG Environmental, Social, and Governance).

• Discover: Investment group dynamics that impact investment strategies. Covers the need for private equity firms and the role of professional portfolio managers.

• Realize: Internal limitations and the use of selected vendor offerings that augment shortcomings of an otherwise cost efficient investment management platform.

• Reading: https://www.biztt.com/asset-management

• Explore: The daily routine of a portfolio manager and their role in the investment management workflow. Understand the limitations of downstream information transparency and the impact on investments.

• Discuss: The workflows that dictate usage of daily and monthly system functions. The impact of non-integrated information. 

• Discover: Triggers for strategic opportunities and application of interim capital inflows and outflows. 

• Realize: The importance of portfolio operations that support decision making. Understand internal and external reporting requirements.

• Reading: https://www.biztt.com/portfolio-managers-day

• Explore: The daily routine of an execution trader and their role in the investment management workflow. Understand the effect of trading styles on execution quality.

• Discuss: The workflows that traders deploy depending on order type, perceived liquidity and portfolio manager instructions.

• Discover: Trader intelligence that influences trading style. Understand the impact of obligations, such as those under a prime broker arrangement. 

• Realize: The significance of execution delay and implementation shortfall analysis.  How market liquidity and adherence to portfolio compliance can impact price quality.

• Reading: https://www.biztt.com/traders-day

• Explore: The ecosystem for asset management technology. Review the plug-n-play's that automate workflow functions.

• Discuss: A minimally viable platform with basic features. Functions may be available in a generally accepted practices package.

• Discover: The key products needed to begin operations. Formalization of routines and procedures.

• Realize: The limitations of standardized products for irregular portfolios. Alternate configurations for special situations.

• Reading: https://www.biztt.com/workflow-blocks

• Explore: Why a system becomes necessary and how to differentiate needs and wants. The workflows that influence actions versus those that impact processing.

• Discuss: Portfolio Manager workflow differences to Execution Trader. Urgency versus priority of enhancements.

• Discover: The impact of duplicate processes on execution quality.  Choice of product features that compensate for personnel shortcomings.

• Realize: Operational efficiency benefits over costs. Industry standard via product acceptability against the opportunity of proprietary sources and methods.

• Reading: https://www.biztt.com/system-selection

• Explore: The variety of offerings depending on asset classes. How those disparities contribute to feature costs.

• Discuss: An acceptable level of scope creep relative to anticipated growth. Percent of growth allocated to technology solutions.

• Discover: The impact of buy versus build decisions. A roadmap for planned features to budget for growth.

• Realize: Pro features may be available in a smaller system. A firms internal resources can augment vendor development shortcomings.

• Reading: https://www.biztt.com/platform-costs

• Explore: The vendors that service hedge funds, asset managers and institutions. The role of prime brokers technology offerings versus vendor products.

• Discuss: The cost/benefit of specialized software that accommodates one investment style over a vendor that provides widely used functions. The need for customization over wanting personalization.

• Discover: The technology offerings for various types of customers and the vendors that provide those services. A primer on do-it-yourself API features.

• Realize: The limitations of consumer product providers in each workflow. The limitations of the players to fully execute plans.

• Reading: https://www.biztt.com/vendor-viability

• Explore: Operations function and feature requirement definitions.

• Discuss: Various things to understand about investment management technology solutions.

• Discover: Explanations of specific terms.

• Realize: The terminology regularly used by investment professionals.

• Reading: https://www.biztt.com/learn-about

• Explore: The bare minimum to understand this security class. 

• Discuss: The appeal of novelty.

• Discover: The ways investors approach asset allocation.

• Realize: The value in alternative assets.

• Reading: https://www.biztt.com/videos

• Weekly Quizzes

• Case Study Analysis

• Final Project: Complete a workflow efficiency solution for a designated hedge fund