Important elements of this programmer include:

• Making your budgeting process more cost effectively
• Motivate managers to "buy in" to the budget process
• Many case studies and illustrations of real companies will be used to help delegates understand how to apply different planning, forecasting and analysis techniques
• Participants will also be given a detailed set of handouts that will enable them to review the topics covered at a later date
• Delegates will be asked to bring a spreadsheet of their organization’s budget structure to work on during the programme.

Participants attending the programme will:

• Implement advanced planning and control techniques into your budgeting process
• Integrate the budgeting process with the development of the company’s long-term strategic vision
• Provide a decision support structure that provides timely and useful information to decision makers
• Successfully build an integrated planning, budgeting and reporting process
• Forecast costs and revenues with greater confidence
• Apply management tools to the budgeting process that contribute to strategic goals
• Effective manage the budgeting process
• Identify key performance indicators for effective and focused decision making
• Increase profitability and performance through stream lined planning and reporting

• Management accountants responsible for budget preparation and management reporting
• Process owners who require a more in-depth understanding of integrated planning and budgeting techniques
• Financial planners and cost analysts
• Line managers with direct planning and budgeting responsibility
• Professional advisers, accountants, and business consultants
• Participants should have a basic understanding of financial statements and bring a laptop computer with a full install of Excel©, including the complete "Toolbox"

DAY 1 – Budgets in Today’s International Environment

• Organizational Planning Framework
• The Product / Information / Decision Support Cycle
• Strategic, Tactical, and Operational Forecasts
• The recognition of risk in Models
• Using Budget Models for Simulation Purpose
• The Drive toward Shareholder Value (EVA®)

The Strategic Plan

• The purpose of planning and budgeting in business
• Defining the strategic approach to business planning
• Defining strategic assumptions
• Building the strategic planning model
• Various strategic and tactical approaches to business planning
• Defining the Decision-Support model: The Mission Critical Success Factor Matrix

DAY 2 - Analyzing the Applicability of Historical Data Using Excel®

• Recognizing the Basic Patterns Inherent in Historical Data
• Using the Exploratory Data Analysis Tools Available in Excel®
• Development of Time Series Models using histograms, moving averages, exponential smoothing, and regression analysis
• Using Regression Analysis as a predictor and estimator
• Mastering the use of Exponential Smoothing as a Data Analysis tool
• Single Regression vs. Multiple Regression
• Validation of Time Series Analysis

DAY 3 - Approaches to Budget Development

• Zero Base Budgeting
• Activity based Budgeting
• Rolling Budgets
• Operational Unit Budgeting
• programmer budgeting
• Developing the Cash Budget

Using Activity-Based Budgeting

• Developing the ABB application model
• Budgeting for Processes rather than Departments
• Defining Key Cost Drivers
• Defining Key Activities
• Development of ABB Cost Standards
• Developing the Activity-Based Budget

DAY 4 - Operational Cost Analysis Techniques

• Cost behavior and breakeven analysis
• Identifying fixed, variable and semi-variable costs
• Application of Regression in the development of budgets
• Building the financial simulation model using deterministic simulation
• Building the financial simulation model using probabilistic (Monte Carlo) simulation

Developing Manufacturing Standards

• Material Standard Development
• Labor Standard Development
• Factory and Corporate Overhead Standard Development
• Variance Analysis

DAY 5 - Optimization Techniques in Models Using Excel®

• Basic Structure of All Optimization Models
• Different Forms and Applications of Optimization Models
• Developing a Financial Optimization Model
• Performing Sensitivity Analysis of an Optimization Model
• Interpreting the Solution of an Optimization Model to a Non-technical Manager

CDGA attendance certificate will be issued to all attendees completing minimum of 75% of the total course duration.