Spreadsheet Skills for Planning, Forecasting and Budgeting

Objective:

This Mastering Spreadsheet Skills for Planning, Forecasting and Budgeting training course will feature:

• A comprehensive guide to the business planning and budgeting process
• Practical expert tuition in the development of spreadsheet skills
• Detailed explanation of effective business forecasting techniques
• Explanation of modern business performance management methods
• Development of practical skills for capital investment evaluation
• Leading edge techniques for risk analysis and management

Content:

Fundamentals of Business Planning

• The aims and principles of strategic planning
• A framework for effective strategic execution
• The structure and format of financial statements
• Measuring and managing financial performance
• Principles of financial modelling
• Spreadsheet skills: Excel best practice and modelling tips

Principles and Techniques of Business Forecasting

• Spreadsheet skills: using Excel’s statistical analysis tools
• Using moving averages to analyse time series data
• Using linear regression for sales trend analysis
• Applying exponential smoothing to forecasting
• Spreadsheet skills: using Excel Solver to minimize forecasting error
• Avoiding common forecasting problems
• Data visualization – presenting data to non-financial managers

Budgeting for Revenue and Operating Costs

• The role of budgeting in the planning cycle
• Traditional and advanced approaches to cost analysis
• Spreadsheet skills: using regression and correlation for cost forecasts
• Criticisms and limitations of conventional budgeting methods
• Beyond Budgeting
• Spreadsheet skills: building rolling forecast models

Cash Flow Forecasting and Cash Budgeting

• Understanding the drivers of business cash flow
• Spreadsheet skills: building a cash flow forecast model
• Principles of capital budgeting
• Capital investment appraisal tools
• Understanding discounted cash flow (DCF) analysis
• Spreadsheet skills: building a capital investment appraisal model

Incorporating Risk Management into Planning and Forecasting

• Identifying and analyzing business risk
• Probability based approach to decision-making
• Spreadsheet skills: building decision trees in Excel
• Sensitivity analysis and “What-If” forecasting
• Identifying the key drivers of financial performance
• Spreadsheet skills: building a “What-If” forecast for sensitivity analysis