Budgeting, Forecasting and the Planning Process

By the end of this Budgeting, Forecasting and the Planning Process training course, participants will learn how to:

• Improve their ability to think strategically and participate in the integration of the organisation’s strategic management and budgeting processes
• Use forecasting techniques most appropriate to their organisation’s strategic planning and budgeting
• Apply the techniques that relate to the key principles of financial management: shareholder wealth maximisation; cash flow; time value of money; risk
• Appreciate the behavior of costs and identify the costing methods that may best be used in financial planning, budgeting, and budgetary control
• Use best practice to develop operating budgets, capital expenditure budgets, and cash flow budgets and forecasts in line with organisational strategic objectives

This training course will combine the presentation of analytical techniques, examples and case studies. Relevant worked examples will illustrate the learning points and tools and techniques in a real-world environment. Group discussion will promote exchange of experiences and ideas.

The interactive team case studies and exercises will reinforce the application of topics covered. These are supported with the help and advice of your Instructor and his extensive practical experience and knowledge of strategic planning, forecasting and budgeting. Difficult mathematical concepts are minimised wherever possible and handled in a visual way that is easy to understand – our aim is for this to be an enjoyable learning experience.

Participants in this Budgeting, Forecasting and the Planning Process training course will provide benefits for their organisation through the enhanced knowledge and set of skills that they will take back to the workplace:

• Strategic Thinking and Appreciation of the links between Budgets and Strategic Financial Plans
• Application of Effective Forecasting Techniques
• Risk Analysis and Risk Management
• Identification of the most appropriate Financing and Optimal Capital Structures
• Development of Modern Approaches to Costing, Planning, Budgeting and Budgetary control
• Capital Investment Project Budgeting, Cash Forecasting and Budgeting

Delegates will learn to take a strategic approach and greatly improve their Planning and Budgeting skill set relating to:

• Strategic Analysis and Financial Planning and Use of Strategy Maps like the Balanced Scorecard
• Use of Qualitative and Quantitative Forecasting Tools and Techniques, and Evaluation of Business and Financial Risk
• Absorption Costing, Marginal Costing and Cost-Volume-Profit (CVP) Analysis, Activity Based Costing (ABC), and Activity Based Management (ABM)
• Preparation of Operating Budgets, Cash Budgets and Forecasts, and the Use of Activity Based Budgeting (ABB), Flexed Budgets and Variance Analysis for Budgetary Control
• Evaluation of Alternative Financing, Optimisation of Capital Structure, and Computation of Cost of Equity, Cost of Debt, and Weighted Average Cost of Capital (WACC)
• Application of Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) techniques of Net Present Value (NPV), Internal Rate of Return (IRR), Modified Internal Rate of Return (MIRR), Equivalent Annual Cost (EAC), and the Profitability Index (PI) for Capital Project Investment Appraisal and Capital Budgeting

This Budgeting, Forecasting and the Planning Process training course is designed to be suitable for anyone involved in budgeting and planning in companies, corporations, and governmental, education, and health service organisations. It is equally valuable for those working in finance and accounting, costing, and treasury departments, and all other financial and non-financial professionals who have budget responsibility or are involved in the planning process, for example:

• Line Managers
• Project Managers
• Professional Advisers and consultants who would like to further develop their strategic thinking and decision-making, and refresh and update their skill sets relating to planning, forecasting and budgeting, and their linkages