Advanced Reporting and Budgeting

Course details

Course Introduction:
Unlock the full potential of financial analysis with our Advanced Reporting and Budgeting course. Delegates will master sophisticated reporting techniques, enhance budgeting accuracy, and leverage advanced tools for strategic decision-making. Gain practical skills through hands-on exercises and real-world scenarios to drive efficiency and insight in your financial planning. Transform your approach to financial management and boost your organisational impact.

Course Outcomes:
Introduce fundamental bookkeeping and accounting concepts enabling them to manage the financial aspects of their role more effectively
Review the different approaches taken in the public and private sector
Make sense of key financial statements and key ratios
Manage financial aspects of projects more effectively
Assist in putting together a budget to justify expected expenditure
Measure budgetary performance
Conduct effective investment appraisals

Who Should Attend:
Those for whom finance is part of their responsibility or are new to management and need a greater understanding of finance. They will be from all sectors, including private, public and not-for-profit including:

Those who are new managers or managers wanting a refresher
Budget holders who want to create and manage their budgets more effectively
Operations managers who want to know more about cost management and projects
Sales and marketing employees who want to understand financial statements
Anyone who needs to understand key accounting concepts, and improve forecasting and cost management skills
Managers who are about to be promoted into positions which require financial literacy
Managers facing financial decisions or expect to make a contribution to a wider planning process

Course Topics:
Concepts and principles

Bookkeeping versus accounting
Cash accounting versus accrual accounting and use in private and public sectors
Types of accounts in the General Ledger their purpose and the chart of accounts
Double-entry bookkeeping concepts and implications
Depreciation and amortisation


Interpreting Financial Statements

The income statement (PandL) statement format content and key concepts
Interpretation of key ratios derived from the income statement; P/E ratio Profit margin
The language and major components of the balance sheet
Business ratios derived from the balance sheet and PandL together liquidity debt profitability etc


Investment Appraisal

Defining the value generated and the required return the hurdle rate
Return on capital employed calculation methodology and interpretation
Payback period calculations
NPV and IRR calculations
Non-financial aspects of investment appraisal and decision making


Essential Budgeting Process

Purpose and benefits problems and limitations of capital and operational budgets and the important differences
Budget processes in the private sector
Budget processes in the public sector
Identification of risks to the budget and actions to mitigate them


Measuring Financial Statements

What is financial performance?
Financial performance in the public sector
The importance of cash flow how to measure and improve it
Gross profit operating profit net profit margin
Key performance ratios


Investment Appraisal

Defining the value generated and the required return the hurdle rate
Return on capital employed calculation methodology and interpretation
Payback period calculations
NPV and IRR calculations
Non-financial aspects of investment appraisal and decision making


Management Accounting

Types of management information prepared for internal consumption
Financial information managers need in order to be able to manage the power of comparisonsHistorical revenues and profits cost trends product profit margins receivables information budget comparisons break-even analysis and contribution margin analysis


Managing the Costs and Finances of Projects

The stages of project management PMBOK Guide and Prince 2 compared
Building the Business case and getting approval for funding
Estimating project costs expert analogous parametric bottom up estimating etc
Understanding Gantt charts
Project forecasts
Project risks and financial implications


Building an Effective Budget

Public Sector context of financial management
Public budgeting seen through four perspectives political economists accountants managers
Approaches to budgeting including; line item budgeting program budgeting zero-based budgeting priority-based budgeting
Three prerequisites for budget preparation
Medium Term Expenditure Frameworks aligning budgets


Investment and Risk

Building an investment portfolio key questions WHY are we investing REQUIRED RETURN WHAT do we invest in WHEN do we invest WHERE do we invest
Five key stages risk preference asset classes amount to invest in each class choose investments monitor and rebalance
Fundamental and Technical analysis techniques
Identification and mitigation of key risks