Spreadsheet Skills for Planning, Forecasting & Budgeting Conference

Introduction:

Planning, forecasting, and budgeting are crucial business functions that, when executed effectively, can lead to remarkable success. This spreadsheet skills for budgeting and financial forecasting conference aims to enhance your abilities in these areas by harnessing Excel's capabilities. With refined spreadsheets and models, we can achieve more precise planning, accurate forecasting, and achievable budgeting. Additionally, the development time for these critical tools can be significantly reduced.

Using what-if scenarios improves forecasts, plans, and budgets, helping management identify critical factors to monitor. These tools also easily translate into business plans, guiding the firm's performance.

Enhancing Spreadsheet Planning with Excel:

In spreadsheet planning, Excel is an indispensable tool that enables meticulous planning and strategic decision-making through what-if scenarios and sensitivity analysis. By leveraging features like data tables, goal seeks, and solvers, this seminar on spreadsheet skills for budgeting and financial forecasting will utilize a financial plan spreadsheet to its fullest, enhancing the accuracy and effectiveness of your corporate planning processes.

The spreadsheet skills for budgeting and financial forecasting conference emphasizes using advanced spreadsheet skills in financial accounting and budgeting. We delve deeply into preparing dynamic business accounting spreadsheets, including primary and more elaborate financial accounting spreadsheets. Learn how an accounting budget spreadsheet can drive fiscal discipline and insights.

Targeted Groups:

• Financial Accounting Team Members.
• Cost and Management Accounting Staff.
• Finance Managers.
• Budget Managers.
• Commercial Managers.
• Capital Investment and Project Team Members.
• Employees who want to gain extensive knowledge to improve their careers.

Conference Objectives:

By the end of this spreadsheet skills for budgeting and financial forecasting conference, participants will be able to:

• Grasp the variety of Excel tools available for financial planning spreadsheet activities.
• Conduct advanced "what-if" scenarios to refine decision-making.
• Recognize apt Excel techniques for various contexts.
• Utilize advanced spreadsheet skills for enhanced outcomes.
• Make informed decisions on calculated risks.
• Expand a diverse range of valuable Excel models.
• Gain a deeper insight into the importance of well-constructed Excel models in the demanding corporate world.
• Discern the risks and rewards associated with different planning decisions.
• Evaluate the impact of varying inputs on critical outputs.
• Comprehend the cost/benefit of decision-making.
• Enrich their experience with practical model application in case studies.

Targeted Competencies:

By the end of this spreadsheet skills for budgeting and financial forecasting conference, target competencies will be able to:

• Budgeting.
• Building models in Microsoft Excel.
• Forecasting.
• Evaluating proposals.
• Applying Microsoft Excel functions and tools.
• Assessing budgeting processes.

Conference Content:

Unit 1: Introduction to Spreadsheets using Excel:

• Worksheet fundamentals.
• The importance of Relative and Absolute cell references through the F4 key.
• How do you expose ALL formulas in a worksheet using built-in functions for Swiffer review?
• The art of naming cells and ranges for increased precision and speed.
• Techniques to freeze panes, columns, and rows for better data visualization.
• Methods for protecting cells and ranges to stabilize financial models.
• Function wizard benefits.
• Strategies for linking cells from various worksheets to minimize errors.
• Secret keyboard shortcuts for efficiency.

Unit 2: Proper Planning:

• Introduction to strategic spreadsheet planning.
• What-if analysis:
• Scenario analysis techniques.
• Sensitivity analysis using spinners and scroll bars.
• Economic Order Quantity (EOQ) concepts.
• Building out Data tables to visualize a broad spectrum of possibilities.
• 1-way Data tables.
• 2-way Data tables.
• Maximizing vs. optimizing decision-making processes.
• Utilizing The Goal Seek command for solving inverse equations.
• Solver for calculating optimal product mix, addressing distribution challenges, and managing capital budgeting.

Unit 3: Fantastic Forecasting:

• Understanding financial forecasting tools.
• Qualitative forecasting techniques and applications.
• Quantitative forecasting methods and implications.
• Utilization of smoothing techniques.
• Regression analysis.
• Time series analysis.
• Forecasting growth rates for verification.
• Internal (IGR).
• Sustainable (SGR).
• Functions like MIN, MAX, MEDIAN, MODE, and AVERAGE in forecasting.
• Employing GEOMEAN to calculate Average Growth Rate (AGR).
• Application of RANK, QUARTILE, and PERCENTILE for advanced data analysis.

Unit 4: Beyond Budgeting:

• The essence of a financial budget spreadsheet.
• Crafting a simple budget spreadsheet.
• Creating a Flexible Budget Model.
• Developing a comprehensive budget.
• Delineation of operating and financial budget elements.
• Integration of budget components.
• Linking them.
• Importance of the Variance Analysis report in improving budget efficacy.
• Techniques for calculating variance analysis to guide necessary adjustments.

Unit 5: Putting It Together – Building The Comprehensive Model:

• Assembling a robust financial plan spreadsheet model.
• Constructing an intricate forecasting spreadsheet.
• Developing a detailed budget forecast spreadsheet.
• Synchronization of planning, forecasting, and budgeting models.
• Optimization via capital structure planning.
• Strategies for bond buybacks and investment planning.