Mastering Planning, Forecasting
& Budgeting using Spreadsheet

Effective planning, budgeting, and forecasting skills are crucial for organizations to anticipate and navigate the rapid and disruptive changes that define the challenges of 21st-century business survival and growth. This Mastering Planning, Forecasting & Budgeting using Spreadsheet training course focuses on developing practical spreadsheet skills essential for understanding and actively contributing to these critical planning, budgeting, and forecasting processes.

By the end of this training course, delegates will be able to:

• Participate in and support the planning, budgeting and forecasting process
• Apply advanced Excel modelling skills in these key processes
• Apply latest techniques in cost forecasting and management
• Build effective spreadsheet models to assist in investment decision-making
• Develop models for applying sensitivity analysis to risk management

This training course will not only be of benefit to planning team members, but it will also provide a useful insights and tools for other professionals in related fields, in particular the course will greatly benefit:

• Financial accounting team members
• Cost and management accounting staff
• Finance managers
• Budget managers
• Commercial managers
• Capital investment and project team members
• Investment analysts and acquisition team members
• Risk managers

• 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

• 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 minimise forecasting error
• Avoiding common forecasting problems
• Data visualisation – presenting data to non-financial managers

• 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

• 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

• Identifying and analysing 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

Anderson Certificate of Completion will be provided to delegates who attend and complete the course