Financial Analysis and Budget
Control with Excel
29 September – 03 October 2025
Sandton Centre
Johannesburg South Africa
Register Now! Limited Seats Available!
R19, 999.00 Per Delegate
Course overview:
In today’s data-driven business environment, the ability to analyze financial performance and manage budgets effectively is critical to organizational success. Excel remains one of the most powerful and accessible tools for financial planning, analysis, and control. This comprehensive course bridges the gap between theoretical financial management and practical Excel-based tools, enabling professionals to make informed financial decisions.
Participants will learn how to interpret financial statements, develop and monitor budgets, conduct variance analysis, and create dynamic Excel models for forecasting and reporting. The course emphasizes hands-on learning using real-world datasets, allowing participants to build functional templates and dashboards that can be applied immediately in their work environment.
Course Objectives:
By the end of this training, participants will be able to:
• Understand Financial Fundamentals:
o Interpret key financial statements and evaluate financial health using Excel.
• Perform Financial Analysis:
o Use Excel to conduct ratio, trend, and comparative analysis for effective financial evaluation.
• Develop and Monitor Budgets:
o Design operational, capital, and cash budgets using Excel, including departmental and consolidated budgets.
• Control Costs and Analyze Variances:
o Perform budget variance analysis and identify areas for cost control and financial improvement.
• Build Dynamic Excel Models:
o Develop reusable Excel-based budgeting and forecasting tools that support strategic decision-making.
• Use Advanced Excel Features:
o Apply pivot tables, lookups, scenario tools, and basic macros to enhance financial reporting and efficiency.
• Communicate Financial Insights:
o Create dashboards and visualizations for clear and impactful financial communication to stakeholders.
Who Should Attend:
• Finance Officers and Managers
• Accountants and Internal Auditors
• Budget Analysts and Controllers
• Project Managers and Program Officers
• Public Sector Finance Staff
• Quality Assurance and Compliance Officers
• Non-finance Managers and Executives
Course Outline:
Day 1: Introduction to Financial Analysis and Excel Essentials
• Importance of financial analysis and budget control
• Overview of key financial statements
o Income Statement
o Balance Sheet
o Cash Flow Statement
• Excel skills for finance professionals
o Shortcuts and productivity tools
o Formatting financial data
o Basic formulas and functions (SUM, AVERAGE, IF, etc.)
Day 2: Financial Analysis Techniques Using Excel
• Ratio analysis:
o Liquidity, profitability, solvency, and efficiency ratios
• Trend analysis and horizontal/vertical analysis
• Common-size financial statements
• Creating dashboards to visualize financial data
• Using conditional formatting for financial alerts
Day 3: Budgeting Principles and Excel-Based Budget Models
• Types of budgets:
o Operational, capital, cash, and flexible budgets
• Budgeting methods:
o Incremental, zero-based, activity-based
• Creating budget templates in Excel
• Linking departmental budgets into a master budget
• Dynamic Excel models using cell referencing and formulas
Day 4: Budget Control and Variance Analysis
• Forecasting techniques:
o Trend, regression, and moving averages
• Variance analysis:
o Actual vs. Budget
o Price, quantity, and volume variance
• Cost control mechanisms
• Scenario and sensitivity analysis using Excel:
o What-If Analysis
o Goal Seek
o Data Tables
o Scenario Manager
Day 5: Advanced Excel Tools and Final Case Study
• PivotTables and PivotCharts for financial reporting
• Excel Lookup functions (VLOOKUP, HLOOKUP, XLOOKUP, INDEX/MATCH)
• Error checking and data validation
• Introduction to Macros for budgeting automation (basic level)
• Capstone Project:
o Build a comprehensive budget and financial analysis model
o Presentation and peer review
End of the workshop
IN HOUSE AND ONLINE TRAINING
While both In-House and Online training can present with cost-effectiveness and time-efficacy, there are some very specific differences between in-house courses and those based online.
The demand for additional courses by individuals or groups of people is increasing. Still, it depends entirely on the preferences of a person what type of training he or she wants to receive. Online courses and in-house training carry some similarities but they are considered to exhibit some very pivotal differences too. Despite that, both types of learning can be really beneficial for attendees.
For Registration and other Training arrangements,
contact us on the detail below.
SOUTH AFRICA : +27 11 057 6001
TANZANIA Cell: +255 769 688 544
WhatsApp +27 79 574 0389
info@bmktraining.co.za / www.bmktraining.com
