FP&A Technical Mastery

FP&A professionals require a cross-functional understanding of accounting, finance, corporate strategy, and industry dynamics. This virtual training program is designed to fill the knowledge gaps we’ve seen FP&A and corporate finance professionals, covering the following topics:

• The Power & Art of Business Modeling in FP&A
• Data Visualization & Storytelling
• Outputs & Variance Analysis
• Scenarios & Sensitivities
• Getting to Answers Without Modeling
• Capex & Project Forecasting
• Forecasting & Budgeting
• Strategic Financial Planning & Analysis

• Organizational structure and navigation
• Coverage of key formulas & functions, ribbons, and functionality
• Simplification of complex modeling techniques and model hygiene
• Formula auditing, watch window, formula evaluator
• Use of dynamic links for linking internally and to external workbooks

 

• Use of defined names for cells, ranges, tables, data sets, and formulas to simplify references
• Incorporation of dynamic drop-down lists, toggles, and lookups to improve efficiency

 

• Creation of dynamic data sets, data ranges, named ranges and formulas using OFFSET to reduce or eliminate manual updates to models and forecasts
• Use toggles combined with INDIRECT to quickly and efficiently import financials or subsequently-dated data sets
• Lookup Functions: INDEX, MATCH, VLOOKUP, HLOOKUP, DATA VALIDATION
• Real-life application through exercises and case studies

 

• Best-practices for conveying financial performance in visual form for meetings and presentations
• How FP&A can serve as a strategic partner to non-financial business functions
• Creation of deliverables with consideration given to the end-user or a wide array of audiences
  • Sparklines combined with dynamic data ranges
  • Using dynamic data sets to populate pivot charts, pivot tables, and pivot slicers
• Real-life application through exercises and case studies

 

Outputs & Variance Analysis

• Use of data visualization to communicate strategic mapping, key performance indicators (KPIs), and balanced scorecards
• Approaches for identification and visual display of KPIs
• Variance analysis and cash flow forecasting
  • Use of conditional formatting to highlight period-over-period variances
  • Consideration of dynamic triggers for flexible conditional formatting
• Real-life application through exercises and case studies
• Building and displaying impactful dashboards for meetings and presentations
• Crafting and management of dynamic charts and graphs
  • Creation of fully-dynamic graphs with automated updating of links to source information
  • Incorporation of fully-flexible date range toggles within dynamic graphs
  • Utilization of form controls in dynamic graphs to enhance user-interface
• Real-life application through exercises and case studies

 

Scenarios & Sensitivities

• Financial consolidations
  • SUM OF WORKSHEETS approach to scenario management, forecasting, and budgeting
• Introduction to the Developer ribbon and Visual Basic for Applications (VBA)
• Introduction to Excel’s built-in scenario manager and scenario summary function
• Enhancement of scenario user-interface with form controls (option buttons, check boxes, combo boxes, spin buttons, scroll bars, group boxes)
• Differences between simulation and optimization
• Conduct sensitivity analysis with dynamic 1- and 2-variable data tables combined with conditional formatting

• Conduct ‘what-if’ operational simulations to minimize risk
• Utilize goal seek to determine pricing and to target profitability
• Demonstrate how Excel’s Solver can enhance performance while addressing resource constraints
• Address break-even, profit optimization, and product mix decisions
• Real-life application through exercises and case studies

• Net Present Value (NPV), Internal Rate of Return (IRR), Modified IRR (MIRR), XIRR, XNPV
• Discounted cash flow analysis and the weighted average cost of capital
• Utilize 1- and 2-variables sensitivity tables to display a range of probable results
• Real-life application through exercises and case studies

• Key terms and definitions
• Forecasting methods
  • Top-down
  • Bottoms-up
• How risk, uncertainty, and probability affect forecasts
• How regression aids in forecasting accuracy
• Real-life application through exercises and case studies

• Key accounting and finance terms and definitions
• Understanding the fundamentals of the financial statements
  • Income Statement
  • Balance Sheet
  • Statement of Cash Flows
  • Common-sizing and period-over-period trend analysis
  • Ratio analysis
• Comprehensive strategic case study
  • Revenue and cost build by channel
  • Assessment of the macroeconomic and industry environment
  • Peer review
  • Liquidity and working capital management including cash conversion cycle optimization
  • Gap analysis
  • Debt sizing
  • Integrated venture forecast modeling

• What are the characteristics of an effective FP&A function
• The future of FP&A in large corporations and private companies