Course description
Planning, Forecasting & Budgeting are the most important functions in business. Performed properly they can lead to exceptional success. Yet many people do not use the tools available to them to their best advantage. In this course, we will leverage the power of Excel to demonstrate how to improve your forecasting, planning, and budgeting. By developing better spreadsheets & models, planning is more accurate, forecasting is more precise & budgeting is more attainable. And the time to develop these is dramatically reduced.
Spreadsheet Skills for Planning, Forecasting & Budgeting training course will demonstrate how you can develop spreadsheet models to create a forecast, which can then be utilised to generate business plans and operating budgets with the use of Excel as it is used in practice. The applications will be focused on three crucial aspects of business and financial management - strategic planning, intelligent forecasting, and realistic budgeting
Delegates will learn how accessible the power of Excel is to provide realistic forecasts and prepare flexible budgets. The impact on efficiency in planning and control and therefore return on investment for companies and/or divisions will be startling.
Upcoming start dates
Suitability - Who should attend?
Spreadsheet Skills for Planning, Forecasting & Budgeting training course, is ideal for:
- Financial accounting team members
- Cost and management accounting staff
- Finance managers
- Budget managers
- Commercial managers
- Capital investment and project team members
Outcome / Qualification etc.
By the end of Spreadsheet Skills for Planning, Forecasting & Budgeting training course delegates will be able to:
- Participate effectively in planning, budgeting and forecasting process
- Apply advanced Excel spreadsheet skills in business forecasting
- Employ leading edge tools for cost analysis and forecasting
- Develop financial models to assist in capital investment decisions
- Make spreadsheet models for cash flow forecasting
- Build powerful “what if” spreadsheet models for risk sensitivity analysis
Training Course Content
Day 1
Introduction to Spreadsheets using Excel
- The power of Excel for building financial models
- The Ribbons of Excel with their commands and functions
- Using formulae: Copying, anchoring, and special pasting
- Using functions: financial, statistical, and mathematical
- Review of the financial objectives of business: ROI, ROA, ROE
- Overview of Financial Statements
Day 2
Proper Planning:
- Introduction to planning
- What-if analysis:
- Scenario analysis techniques
- Sensitivity analysis using spinners & scroll bars
- Economic Order Quantity (EOQ)
- Build out Data tables to see an entire range of options
- 1-way Data tables
- 2-way Data tables
- Maximizing vs. optimizing techniques
- Utilizing The Goal Seek command to calculate a reverse equation
- Using Solver to calculate optimal product mix, distribution problems & capital budgeting
Day 3
Fantastic Forecasting
- Forecasting in perspective - the Past vs. the Future
- The necessity to apply a range of different forecasting methods:
- Qualitative Models used in forecasting
- Quantitative Models focussing on time series and regressions methodology
- Forecasting growth rates
- Recording, applying, and modifying forecast assumptions
Day 4
Beyond Budgeting:
- What is a budget?
- How to build a simple budget
- Build a Flexible Budget Model
- Build out a complete budget
- Operating budget elements
- Financial budget elements
- Linking them
- What is the Variance Analysis report & why is it important to improve your budget
- Calculating variance analysis to see what must be changed
Day 5
Putting it together – building the comprehensive model
- Considering the financing mix in strategy
- Considering the Return to Shareholder as the primary indicator
- Build your planning model
- Build your forecasting model
- Build your budgeting model
- Link these together in a review
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London Premier Centre
London Premier Centre is a UK leading training provider based in London and specialises in international short courses. Our inspiring, comprehensive portfolio of more than 400 professional development courses and seminars covers a wide range of professions from Administration, Leadership,...