Budgeting, Forecasting and Business Planning Training Course

Duration 5 days 10 modules · 33 contact hours
Level Intermediate Certificate on completion
Who attends Finance Managers, FP&A Analysts and others
Fee from USD 1,100 KSh 95,000 for Kenyan organisations
Where 52 cities + online See dates by city
Next start 16 Nov 2026 Course code SD-FM-135

Before you join: Participants should understand basic financial statements, including income statements, balance sheets and cash flow statements, and be comfortable working with budgets or management reports.

Dates & prices

Two start dates a month in every city, and live online on weekdays or weekends. Fees are per participant; classroom fees include tuition, materials, lunch and refreshments, and the certificate.

Suggest a date or city

Showing the next six months. Later dates, other cities and private deliveries for your team are available on request.

Course overview

Budgeting, forecasting and business planning often fail because strategic targets, operational assumptions and financial models are developed separately. Managers may receive a budget that cannot explain the operational drivers behind revenue, cost, headcount, working capital or cash. Forecasts then become periodic restatements of expected results rather than decision tools. This course addresses the discipline needed to connect strategy, plans, budgets, rolling forecasts and management reporting into a controlled planning process.

Participants learn to translate strategic objectives into measurable financial and operational drivers; construct revenue, cost, headcount, capital expenditure, working capital and cash forecasts; and link these into integrated financial statements. The course covers annual budgets, rolling forecasts, driver-based planning, scenario analysis, sensitivity testing, flexible budgeting and variance investigation. Participants also examine how finance teams challenge assumptions, manage budget-holder submissions, govern model changes and present decisions clearly to senior management.

Teaching combines focused briefings with financial planning cases, model reviews, group analysis and decision simulations. Participants work with realistic planning issues such as missed sales targets, inflation-driven cost increases, delayed customer receipts, capacity constraints and funding pressures. They leave with a reusable planning pack containing templates for driver trees, assumption registers, rolling cash forecasts, scenario analysis, variance commentary and planning governance.

The course is suited to finance professionals and operational managers who contribute to plans, own budgets or need to interpret forecasts. It is particularly useful for organisations seeking more credible forecasts, earlier action on financial risks and better accountability for plan delivery.

What you will be able to do

  • Build driver-based budgets linking strategic objectives, operational assumptions and financial targets
  • Construct integrated profit, financial position and cash flow forecasts
  • Develop 13-week rolling cash forecasts from receipts, payroll and supplier payment data
  • Apply scenario, sensitivity and break-even analysis to planning decisions
  • Challenge revenue, cost, headcount and capital expenditure assumptions using evidence
  • Investigate budget variances using flexible budgets and performance-driver analysis
  • Produce management reporting packs with decision-focused commentary and KPI analysis
  • Design planning governance, version control and forecast review processes

Benefits of attending

For you

  • Greater confidence challenging unsupported budget and forecast assumptions
  • Ability to explain financial outcomes through operational performance drivers
  • Practical methods for producing credible rolling cash forecasts
  • Stronger contribution to planning meetings and senior management decisions
  • Reusable templates for budgeting, scenario analysis and variance commentary

For your organisation

  • More credible plans linked to operational capacity and strategic priorities
  • Earlier visibility of liquidity pressures, covenant risks and funding needs
  • Clearer accountability for assumptions, actions and forecast changes
  • Faster identification of adverse variances and corrective actions
  • Better-quality management information for resource allocation decisions

Course modules

10 modules over 5 days

Participants can structure a planning process that connects strategy, budgets, forecasts and accountability.

  • Planning architecture linking strategy, operating plans, budgets, forecasts and capital decisions
  • Annual budget, rolling forecast and long-range plan purposes distinguished
  • Calendar design assigns assumptions, submissions, reviews, approvals and reforecast cycles
  • Responsibility centres defined as cost, revenue, profit and investment centres
  • Planning policies set ownership, materiality thresholds, version control and escalation
  • Finance business partnering roles separate challenge, consolidation, approval and accountability

Participants can convert strategy and market assumptions into measurable planning drivers.

  • Strategic objectives translated into financial targets, operational drivers and milestones
  • Balanced Scorecard links financial outcomes with customer, process and capability measures
  • PESTLE analysis identifies external assumptions requiring quantified planning responses
  • Porter's Five Forces tests market pressure behind revenue and margin assumptions
  • Driver trees connect volume, price, mix, productivity and capacity
  • Assumption registers document sources, owners, ranges, dependencies and review dates

Participants can build operational budgets from revenue, cost, headcount and procurement drivers.

  • Revenue forecast built from pipeline, conversion, retention, price and sales capacity
  • Unit economics separates volume, price, mix, variable cost and contribution
  • Headcount plans reconcile vacancies, hiring dates, salary bands and benefits
  • Zero-based budgeting challenges discretionary spend through activity-level cost justification
  • Fixed, variable, stepped and semi-variable costs modelled using relevant ranges
  • Procurement commitments, inflation indices and contract renewals incorporated into expense plans

Participants can link operating plans to forecast profit, financial position and cash flow.

  • Integrated three-statement model links profit, financial position and cash flow
  • Working capital forecast models receivables, inventory, payables and timing assumptions
  • Capital expenditure schedules calculate depreciation, asset additions and disposal proceeds
  • Debt schedules model interest, principal repayments, covenants and refinancing needs
  • Cash conversion cycle diagnoses operating cash pressure and funding requirements
  • Balance sheet checks reconcile retained earnings, cash movements and financing

Participants can produce rolling cash forecasts and identify liquidity actions before pressures escalate.

  • 13-week rolling cash forecast built from receipts, payroll and supplier data
  • Direct cash forecasting distinguishes payment timing from profit recognition
  • Indirect cash forecasts reconcile EBITDA, working capital movements and capital expenditure
  • Minimum liquidity thresholds trigger funding actions and contingency decisions
  • Cash forecast variance analysis separates timing differences from structural shortfalls
  • Weekly treasury reporting communicates liquidity headroom, risks, actions and owners

Participants can assess the financial consequences of uncertainty and define proportionate responses.

  • Base, upside and downside scenarios use explicit assumptions and probability ranges
  • Sensitivity analysis measures earnings exposure to volume, price, cost and exchange rates
  • Break-even analysis calculates required sales volume under alternative contribution margins
  • Monte Carlo simulation concepts distinguish distributions, correlations and percentile outcomes
  • Reverse stress testing identifies conditions that breach cash or covenant limits
  • Contingency responses assign triggers, decisions, owners and required lead times

Participants can run an accountable budget process that tests submissions and resolves trade-offs.

  • Bottom-up budgeting gathers accountable plans from operational budget holders
  • Top-down target setting tests affordability against strategic and financial constraints
  • Participative budgeting balances local knowledge, challenge and target ownership
  • Budget challenge sessions test drivers, evidence, trade-offs and resource requests
  • Version control maintains approved baselines, working scenarios and decision records
  • Planning systems workflow enforces deadlines, validation rules and approval authorities

Participants can explain performance differences and update forecasts without masking underlying issues.

  • Flexible budgets restate expected costs at actual activity levels
  • Price, volume, mix and efficiency variances isolate performance drivers
  • Sales bridge analysis explains movement between budget, forecast and actual revenue
  • Spend variance investigation distinguishes timing, scope, rate and control failures
  • Management commentary links material variances to actions, owners and dates
  • Forecast updates incorporate actuals without concealing recurring performance issues

Participants can present planning and performance information for timely management decisions.

  • Management reporting packs combine financial results, drivers, risks and decisions
  • KPI hierarchy distinguishes leading indicators, operational measures and financial outcomes
  • Dashboard design applies exception reporting, thresholds, trends and clear visual hierarchy
  • Board papers frame recommendations, options, financial implications and requested decisions
  • Data quality controls test completeness, accuracy, reconciliation and timeliness
  • Materiality criteria focus management attention on consequential deviations and choices

Participants can identify improvements to their planning cycle and define actions for implementation.

  • Planning governance defines decision rights, approval limits and escalation routes
  • Model audit trails record formula changes, assumptions, sources and reviewer sign-off
  • Forecast accuracy metrics track bias, mean absolute percentage error and timeliness
  • Post-forecast reviews identify root causes, corrective actions and process improvements
  • Annual planning improvement plan sequences quick wins, owners and milestones
  • Personal application commitments specify workplace deliverables, sponsors and review dates

Exercises and examples are adapted to each cohort's sectors and roles.

What you take back to work

  1. Driver-based planning model
  2. Budget assumption register template
  3. Integrated three-statement forecast template
  4. 13-week rolling cash forecast template
  5. Scenario and sensitivity analysis worksheet
  6. Budget variance commentary checklist

Who should attend

  • Finance Managers — responsible for budgets, forecasts, management reporting and financial challenge
  • FP&A Analysts — building models, consolidating plans and explaining financial performance
  • Business Partners — translating operational plans into credible financial assumptions
  • Budget Holders — accountable for spending, staffing and delivery against approved plans
  • Controllers — strengthening forecasting discipline, variance analysis and reporting controls
  • Operations Managers — making capacity, cost and resource decisions with financial consequences

Skills and tools covered

Driver-based planningRolling cash forecastingScenario analysisVariance investigationIntegrated financial modellingPlanning governance

Tools and standards

Balanced Scorecard, PESTLE analysis, Porter's Five Forces, Monte Carlo simulation

How the course runs

Training methodology

The course uses short instructor briefings to establish planning principles, followed by financial planning cases, group analysis and structured model reviews. Participants examine linked revenue, cost, headcount, working capital and cash assumptions, then test decisions through scenario and variance analysis. Simulations focus on budget challenge meetings, forecast updates and management reporting discussions. Facilitated application planning helps participants adapt the methods, templates and governance controls to their own planning cycle.

Requirements and prerequisites

Participants should understand basic financial statements, including income statements, balance sheets and cash flow statements, and be comfortable working with budgets or management reports. Some experience using spreadsheets for calculations, reporting or financial analysis is expected. Participants should also be familiar with common business measures such as revenue, gross margin, operating costs and capital expenditure. Advanced financial modelling, accounting qualifications, programming skills and prior FP&A experience are not required. The course explains the planning methods and financial links before applying them to cases.

A typical training day

08:30 – 10:30First session
10:30 – 10:45Refreshment break
10:45 – 12:30Second session
12:30 – 13:30Lunch and networking
13:30 – 15:00Third session
15:00 – 15:15Refreshment break
15:15 – 16:30Workshop and daily review

Live online deliveries follow the same structure in East Africa Time, with shorter screen blocks and longer breaks.

What the fee includes

  • Instruction by a practitioner facilitator
  • Full course workbook and materials
  • Exercise files, templates and case studies
  • Refreshments and lunch on classroom deliveries
  • Certificate of completion
  • Post-course application plan

Frequently asked questions

You should understand basic financial statements and common management measures such as revenue, margin, operating costs and cash flow. Advanced modelling skills or an accounting qualification are not required.

Bring a laptop if you want to work with the planning templates during and after the course. Participants may also bring a non-confidential example of a budget, forecast or reporting challenge from their workplace.

It suits finance managers, FP&A analysts, controllers, business partners and operational managers with budget responsibility. It is designed for people who prepare, review, challenge or use financial plans.

The course focuses on the management process that connects strategy, operating plans, budgets, forecasts, cash and reporting. Financial models are used as planning tools rather than taught as advanced spreadsheet construction techniques.

You can use the templates to improve assumption setting, forecast updates, cash visibility, scenario analysis and variance commentary. The final application plan identifies changes that fit your own planning calendar and decision process.

Each training day runs from 08:30 to 16:30 and provides about 6.5 contact hours. The five days cover ten teaching modules, with time for cases, group work, model review, simulations and application planning.

Questions about this course?

Ask about dates, fees, group bookings or running it for your team. Our training team replies by email.

Ask on WhatsApp info@skillsetdevelopment.com

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