Financial Operations and Accounting Training Course

Participants can control supplier invoice processing, payment approval and payable balances.

• Purchase-to-pay flow from requisition, purchase order, receipt and payment
• Three-way matching compares purchase orders, goods receipts and supplier invoices
• Invoice coding rules distinguish operating expenditure, capital expenditure and prepaid costs
• Manage supplier master-file changes using independent verification and approval evidence
• Payment run controls validate bank files, approval limits and duplicate invoices
• Accounts payable ageing identifies overdue liabilities, disputed invoices and supplier risks
• Exception reporting investigates unmatched invoices, blocked payments and price variances

Participants can manage billing, collections and receivables controls to protect cash collection.

• Order-to-cash process links customer setup, billing, collection and cash application
• Credit control procedures establish limits, payment terms and escalation thresholds
• Raise accurate invoices using contract terms, tax rules and delivery evidence
• Cash application matches remittances, bank receipts and customer account balances
• Aged receivables analysis prioritises collection activity by amount, age and dispute
• Calculate expected credit losses using ageing data and documented assumptions
• Collection escalation tracks promises-to-pay, disputes, legal action and write-offs

Participants can prepare controlled journal entries and reconcile balance sheet accounts.

• Journal-entry controls require purpose, supporting evidence, approval and posting review
• Distinguish recurring journals, accruals, prepayments, corrections and reclassification entries
• Accrual schedules match costs to periods using contracts, consumption and estimates
• Bank reconciliation compares ledger cash, bank statements and outstanding items
• Balance-sheet reconciliation substantiates balances through independent supporting schedules
• Investigate reconciliation differences using root-cause analysis and ageing classifications
• Prepare reconciliation sign-offs with preparer, reviewer, date and exceptions

Participants can coordinate a controlled close process and produce reliable reporting outputs.

• Close checklist sequences cut-off, reconciliations, journals, review and reporting tasks
• Materiality thresholds focus review effort on financially significant balances and movements
• Apply cut-off testing to revenue, purchases, payroll and inventory transactions
• IFRS presentation distinguishes statement of financial position and profit-or-loss classifications
• Prepare management reporting packs with actuals, budget, forecast and variance explanations
• Review post-close adjustments for recurring causes, approval quality and process defects
• Close dashboards track task completion, late submissions, errors and unresolved exceptions

Participants can analyse working capital drivers and prepare short-term cash forecasts.

• Working-capital cycle connects receivables, inventory, payables and operating cash flow
• Calculate days sales outstanding, days payable outstanding and inventory turnover
• 13-week rolling cash forecast built from receipts, payroll and supplier data
• Separate committed payments, forecast payments and discretionary cash outflows
• Scenario analysis tests delayed collections, supplier demands and sales shortfalls
• Daily cash position reports consolidate bank balances, deposits and payment obligations
• Treasury escalation triggers address forecast deficits, covenant risks and funding requirements

Participants can interpret financial results and investigate material performance variances.

• Horizontal analysis compares current results with prior periods and approved budgets
• Vertical analysis expresses income statement and balance-sheet items as percentages
• Ratio analysis assesses liquidity, profitability, operating efficiency and short-term solvency
• Bridge analysis explains revenue, margin, cost and cash movements
• Investigate budget variances through price, volume, mix and timing drivers
• Management commentary distinguishes facts, assumptions, risks and corrective actions
• KPI definitions align financial measures with source systems and accountable owners

Participants can assess finance risks and document controls that produce audit-ready evidence.

• COSO internal control principles link governance, risk assessment and monitoring
• Risk-and-control matrix connects process risks, control activities and evidence
• Preventive controls stop unauthorised transactions before posting or payment
• Detective controls identify errors through reconciliations, reports and independent review
• Control testing evaluates design effectiveness, operating evidence and exception follow-up
• Audit evidence includes approvals, system logs, reconciliations and retained documentation
• Fraud red flags include vendor changes, split invoices and unusual journals

Participants can improve finance data quality and prioritise appropriate process automation.

• ERP workflow controls route approvals according to authority limits and transaction types
• Data-quality checks detect duplicate vendors, invalid codes and incomplete transaction fields
• Standard reports reconcile subledgers, general ledger balances and management information
• Exception-based review prioritises unusual values, duplicate payments and ageing breaks
• Robotic process automation suits rule-based, high-volume and stable transaction steps
• Spreadsheet controls use protected formulas, version control and independent review
• Automation business cases quantify effort saved, error reduction and control impacts

Participants can prioritise and plan measurable improvements to finance operations.

• Process metrics measure cycle time, first-pass accuracy, backlog and cost
• Root-cause analysis uses five whys and fishbone diagrams for recurring failures
• Prioritise improvement initiatives using impact, effort, risk and control criteria
• Service-level measures define response times, quality standards and escalation routes
• Standard operating procedures document tasks, controls, systems and evidence retention
• Improvement roadmaps assign milestones, owners, resources and performance measures
• Application plan selects immediate actions for participants' finance operations

Participants should understand basic accounting entries, financial statements and routine finance processes. Prior experience in accounts payable, receivables, general ledger, finance administration or reporting is expected.

Participants should bring a laptop if attending in person, along with a calculator if they prefer one. They may also bring non-confidential examples of close checklists, reconciliation formats or process issues they want to improve.

It is suited to finance and accounting staff responsible for transaction processing, reconciliations, close activities, reporting, cash management or internal controls. It also benefits finance managers overseeing shared-service or business-unit finance operations.

This course concentrates on operating processes, transaction controls, reconciliations, close discipline, working capital and finance performance measures. Financial accounting courses usually focus more deeply on reporting standards, while management accounting courses focus on planning, costing and decision support.

Participants can use the templates and methods to review a current finance process, identify control gaps and improve close or cash-management routines. The final application plan helps them identify owners, measures and immediate actions.

The programme runs from 08:30 to 16:30 each day, providing about 6.5 contact hours daily. Time is divided between instructor input, worked cases, group analysis, simulations and application planning across ten modules.