Financial Planning, Costing and Reporting Training Course

Duration 5 days 10 modules · 33 contact hours
Level Intermediate Certificate on completion
Who attends Financial Analysts, Management Accountants and others
Fee from USD 1,100 KSh 95,000 for Kenyan organisations
Where 52 cities + online See dates by city
Next start 7 Nov 2026 Course code SD-A-098

Before you join: Participants should understand basic accounting terms, including revenue, expenses, assets, liabilities, profit and cash flow.

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

Finance teams are expected to turn operating plans into credible budgets, cost information, cash forecasts and financial reports that support timely decisions. This requires more than spreadsheet skill: managers must understand how revenue, capacity, working capital, capital expenditure and risk assumptions affect profit, cash and reported performance. Weak costing methods, unchallenged budget assumptions and poorly explained variances can lead to margin erosion, cash pressure and decisions based on incomplete information.

This course develops practical capability in corporate financial planning, management costing and financial reporting. Participants build integrated planning models, prepare operating and capital budgets, apply cost allocation and activity-based costing methods, analyse cost-volume-profit relationships, forecast cash requirements and investigate budget variances. They also examine how IFRS-based financial statements communicate performance, financial position and cash flows to management, lenders, boards and other stakeholders.

Instructor-led sessions combine concise technical briefings with worked calculations, business cases, group analysis and financial decision simulations. Cases reflect decisions such as pricing a service contract, selecting an investment proposal, responding to an adverse sales variance and preparing a board reporting pack. Participants leave with a practical financial planning and reporting toolkit including reusable templates for budgeting, rolling forecasts, costing, variance analysis and management reporting.

The course is designed for finance professionals and operational managers who contribute to plans, budgets, cost decisions or performance reports. It is particularly suitable for people moving from transactional accounting, departmental management or analyst roles into positions requiring stronger commercial analysis and financial decision support.

What you will be able to do

  • Build an integrated annual budget linking operational drivers, profit, cash flow and financial position
  • Prepare a 13-week rolling cash forecast using receipts, payments, payroll and working capital assumptions
  • Apply absorption costing and activity-based costing to calculate product, service and customer costs
  • Analyse cost-volume-profit relationships using contribution, break-even and margin-of-safety calculations
  • Evaluate capital investment proposals using net present value, internal rate of return and payback
  • Investigate budget variances using price, volume, efficiency and spending analysis
  • Interpret IFRS-based financial statements through ratio analysis, trend analysis and cash flow review
  • Produce a management reporting pack with decision-focused commentary, forecasts and recommended actions

Benefits of attending

For you

  • Prepare financially connected budgets rather than isolated departmental estimates
  • Explain cost and margin movements with defensible calculations
  • Assess investment proposals using recognised capital appraisal methods
  • Produce clearer management commentary for senior decision makers
  • Contribute confidently to budget reviews and forecast challenge sessions

For your organisation

  • More credible budgets linked to operational drivers and cash requirements
  • Improved visibility of product, service and customer profitability
  • Earlier identification of adverse variances and corrective actions
  • More disciplined capital expenditure decisions using consistent appraisal criteria
  • Clearer management reports connecting financial results with operational causes

Course modules

10 modules over 5 days

Participants can connect strategic objectives, operational drivers and financial plans into a decision-support structure.

  • Purpose of corporate planning in management control and resource allocation
  • Strategic objectives translated into revenue, capacity, cost and cash drivers
  • Driver-based planning model linking volume, price, productivity and headcount
  • Planning horizons: annual budget, rolling forecast and long-range plan
  • Financial planning cycle, approval gates and accountability for assumptions
  • Scenario analysis using base, upside and downside planning cases

Participants can prepare an integrated budget linking operating schedules with projected financial statements.

  • Sales budget built from volumes, prices, mix and contract timing
  • Production and operating budgets derived from capacity and demand assumptions
  • Headcount plan incorporating salaries, benefits, recruitment and productivity
  • Capital expenditure budget separating recurring costs from investment outlays
  • Projected income statement assembled from budgeted operating schedules
  • Budgeted statement of financial position reflecting working capital movements
  • Cash budget reconciled with profit, capital expenditure and financing

Participants can prepare short-term cash forecasts and identify working capital actions.

  • 13-week rolling cash forecast built from receipts, payroll and supplier data
  • Receivables forecast using collection patterns, credit terms and ageing
  • Payables schedule incorporating payment terms, purchasing cycles and disputes
  • Inventory cash effects measured through stock days and replenishment timing
  • Operating cash conversion cycle calculated from receivable, inventory and payable days
  • Liquidity scenarios testing delayed collections, cost overruns and funding gaps
  • Cash forecast controls covering ownership, update frequency and assumption review

Participants can classify costs and select costing methods suited to management decisions.

  • Fixed, variable, stepped and semi-variable cost behaviour identified
  • High-low method estimates variable cost rates and fixed components
  • Absorption costing assigns production overhead through appropriate allocation bases
  • Activity-based costing traces overhead using activities, pools and cost drivers
  • Job costing calculates costs for contracts, projects and customised services
  • Process costing accounts for equivalent units and normal production losses
  • Relevant cost analysis distinguishes avoidable, sunk and opportunity costs

Participants can assess profitability and pricing decisions using contribution-based analysis.

  • Contribution margin calculated by product, service, customer and channel
  • Break-even point determined using fixed costs and unit contribution
  • Margin of safety measures exposure to sales volume decline
  • Target profit analysis calculates required sales volume and revenue
  • Sales mix analysis evaluates weighted average contribution and break-even
  • Pricing decisions compare cost-plus, target costing and value-based approaches
  • Special-order decisions assessed through incremental revenue and relevant costs

Participants can evaluate capital expenditure proposals using cash flow and risk analysis.

  • Investment cash flows distinguish initial outlay, operating cash and terminal value
  • Net present value discounts future cash flows using required returns
  • Internal rate of return compared with hurdle rates and funding costs
  • Payback period assesses liquidity exposure and capital recovery timing
  • Accounting rate of return links investment profit with capital employed
  • Sensitivity analysis tests volume, price, cost and discount-rate assumptions
  • Post-investment review compares approved forecasts with realised benefits

Participants can analyse variances, identify operational causes and recommend corrective action.

  • Flexible budgets restate planned costs for actual activity levels
  • Sales price and sales volume variances explain revenue performance
  • Material price and usage variances identify purchasing and consumption causes
  • Labour rate and efficiency variances assess workforce cost performance
  • Variable overhead spending and efficiency variances isolate operational drivers
  • Fixed overhead expenditure and volume variances highlight capacity effects
  • Variance commentary separates factual causes, risks, actions and owners

Participants can interpret key IFRS financial statements and reporting judgements for management use.

  • IAS 1 presentation requirements for financial statements and disclosures
  • IFRS 15 revenue recognition using five-step contract assessment
  • IAS 7 cash flow classification across operating, investing and financing activities
  • Accruals, provisions and contingencies distinguished through recognition criteria
  • Depreciation, impairment and asset disposals affecting reported performance
  • Inventory valuation under IAS 2 and margin reporting implications
  • Accounting policies, estimates and materiality in financial statement preparation

Participants can interpret financial performance, position and cash generation using structured analysis.

  • Horizontal analysis identifies period-on-period movements in reported balances
  • Vertical analysis expresses financial statement items as common-size percentages
  • Profitability ratios assess gross margin, operating margin and return measures
  • Liquidity ratios evaluate current obligations, cash resources and short-term risk
  • Efficiency ratios measure receivables, inventory, payables and asset utilisation
  • Gearing and interest cover assess financing structure and debt capacity
  • DuPont analysis separates return on equity into profit, turnover and financing

Participants can produce decision-focused reporting and define practical planning improvements for their role.

  • Management reporting pack aligns financial measures with operational performance drivers
  • KPI selection distinguishes leading indicators from lagging financial measures
  • Forecast narrative explains assumptions, uncertainty, risks and management actions
  • Waterfall charts communicate bridge analysis between budget, forecast and actual
  • Dashboard design applies materiality, exception reporting and visual hierarchy
  • Board reporting separates decision requests from background financial information
  • Application plan prioritises reporting, costing and forecasting improvements

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

What you take back to work

  1. Integrated budget model template
  2. 13-week cash forecast template
  3. Activity-based costing model
  4. Capital investment appraisal worksheet
  5. Budget variance analysis checklist
  6. Management reporting pack template

Who should attend

  • Financial Analysts — build decision-ready plans, forecasts and performance reports
  • Management Accountants — strengthen costing, budgeting and variance investigation skills
  • Finance Business Partners — translate operational drivers into financial decisions
  • Accountants — connect financial reporting knowledge with planning and management accounting
  • Budget Holders — understand cost, cash and performance consequences of departmental decisions
  • Operations Managers — use financial evidence for pricing, capacity and investment choices

Skills and tools covered

Integrated financial planningManagement costingCash flow forecastingInvestment appraisalVariance analysisFinancial reporting

Tools and standards

IAS 1 Presentation of Financial Statements, IAS 7 Statement of Cash Flows, IAS 2 Inventories, IFRS 15 Revenue from Contracts with Customers

How the course runs

Training methodology

The course uses short instructor briefings to establish methods, followed by worked calculations, business cases, group exercises and financial decision simulations. Participants interpret planning assumptions, construct budgets, allocate costs, assess investment proposals and review reporting packs using realistic data. Facilitated discussion compares alternative decisions and the consequences for profit, cash and financial statements. Each participant develops an application plan identifying reporting, budgeting or costing improvements relevant to their role.

Requirements and prerequisites

Participants should understand basic accounting terms, including revenue, expenses, assets, liabilities, profit and cash flow. Experience preparing spreadsheets, reviewing budgets, processing financial information or managing departmental costs is useful. Participants should be comfortable with percentages, ratios and simple algebra, as calculations are used throughout the course. Prior exposure to management accounting or IFRS is helpful but not essential. Advanced financial modelling, audit experience, professional accounting qualifications and prior knowledge of specialist planning software are not required.

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

Participants need a working understanding of basic accounting terms and confidence with spreadsheets. The course explains the planning, costing and reporting methods from first principles, but it moves beyond introductory bookkeeping.

Participants should bring a calculator or laptop if permitted by the delivery venue, plus examples of non-confidential budgets, reports or cost questions from their role. All core course materials and calculation templates are provided.

It suits management accountants, financial analysts, finance business partners, accountants, budget holders and operational managers. It is intended for people who need to use financial information for planning and decisions, not solely record transactions.

Financial accounting courses concentrate on recording transactions and external reporting rules, while budgeting courses may focus only on annual plan preparation. This course connects planning, cost analysis, cash forecasting, investment decisions, variance investigation and financial reporting.

Participants can use the templates and methods to improve their next budget cycle, rolling forecast, cost review, investment proposal or management report. The application plan helps identify a priority improvement and the stakeholders needed to implement it.

The programme contains ten teaching modules, each lasting approximately three contact hours, supported by breaks and daily consolidation. Time is divided between instructor explanation, worked financial examples, cases, group analysis and reporting simulations.

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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