After 5 days, participants will be able to:

• Estimate future departmental expenses
• Analyze historical trends confidently
• Prepare realistic annual budgets
• Monitor and control spending effectively
• Support management with data-based financial decisions

Day 1 – Fundamentals of Financial Forecasting

• Introduction to Financial Planning
• What is forecasting and why it matters
• Difference between budgeting and forecasting
• Role of Admin & Support departments in financial planning
• Understanding Basic Financial Concepts
• Revenue vs expense
• Fixed vs variable costs
• Operational vs capital expenses
• Using Historical Data for Forecasting
• Reviewing past 2–3 years expenses
• Identifying spending patterns
• Recognizing seasonal variations
• Practical Activity: Analyze sample historical expense data and identify trends.
• Financial Forecasting, Planning & Control

Day 2 – Expense Forecasting & Budget Preparation

• How to Estimate Future Expenses
• Trend-based forecasting (simple % increase method)
• Adjusting for inflation and policy changes
• Planning for recurring vs one-time expenses
• Departmental Budget Preparation
• Security costs forecasting
• Maintenance & admin expense planning
• Training & LMS cost planning
• Budget Structuring
• Monthly budget allocation
• Cost center planning
• Prioritizing spending
• Practical Activity: Prepare a simple annual department budget using historical data.
• Financial Forecasting, Planning & Control

Day 3 – Monitoring & Budget Control

• Budget vs Actual Comparison
• What is variance?
• Identifying overspending & underspending
• Root cause analysis (simple approach)
• Cost Control Techniques
• Preventive cost control
• Approval workflows
• Reducing waste & unnecessary expenses
• Spend Allocation Best Practices
• Prioritization matrix
• Emergency fund planning
• Managing unexpected expenses
• Practical Activity:Create a Budget vs Actual comparison sheet and identify variances.
• Financial Forecasting, Planning & Control
  
  

Day 4 – Trend Analysis & Decision Support

• Identifying Financial Trends
• Month-on-month comparison
• Year-on-year comparison
• Recognizing unusual spending patterns
• Basic Forecasting Tools (Simple Methods Only)
• Moving average (basic explanation)
• Percentage growth forecasting
• Scenario planning (best case / expected / worst case)
• Data-Based Decision Making
• When to revise the budget
• How to justify additional budget requests
• Presenting financial data clearly
• Practical Activity: Build a simple 6-month expense forecast using trend analysis.
• Financial Forecasting, Planning & Control
  
  

Day 5 – Practical Planning Workshop & Reporting

• Annual Financial Planning Exercise
• Setting spending targets
• Allocating budget by category
• Planning for contingencies
• Financial Reporting for Management
• Preparing simple financial summaries
• Dashboard basics (Excel-based)
• Writing budget justification notes
• Action Plan Development
• Improving budget discipline
• Monthly monitoring checklist
• Continuous improvement approach
• Final Workshop: Participants prepare:
• Next year expense forecast
• Budget allocation plan
• Variance monitoring template
• short presentation to management
• Financial Forecasting, Planning & Control

CDGA attendance certificate will be issued to all attendees completing minimum of 80% of the total course duration.