Advanced Excel for Planning, Forecasting & Budgeting Skills Event, 27.Jul.2025

Course Description

This comprehensive 5-day course equips finance professionals with advanced Excel skills for planning, forecasting, and budgeting. Participants will learn to create sophisticated financial models, perform sensitivity analysis, and optimize decision-making processes using Excel's powerful features.

Learning Objectives

• Develop advanced Excel skills for financial modeling and analysis
• Create dynamic budgets and forecasts using advanced Excel functions
• Implement sensitivity analysis and scenario planning techniques
• Optimize financial decision-making through data-driven insights
• Enhance reporting capabilities with advanced Excel visualization tools

Course Modules

Day 1: Advanced Excel Functions for Financial Modeling

• Advanced lookup functions (INDEX, MATCH, OFFSET)
• Array formulas and dynamic ranges
• Data validation and error checking
• Financial functions (NPV, IRR, XNPV, XIRR)

Day 2: Building Dynamic Budgets and Forecasts

• Creating flexible budget templates
• Rolling forecasts and driver-based models
• Scenario analysis using Data Tables
• Variance analysis and reporting

Day 3: Sensitivity Analysis and Risk Assessment

• One-way and two-way sensitivity analysis
• Monte Carlo simulation basics
• Goal Seek and Solver for optimization
• Building tornado charts for risk visualization

Day 4: Advanced Forecasting Techniques

• Time series analysis and trend forecasting
• Regression analysis for predictive modeling
• Moving averages and exponential smoothing
• Combining forecasts for improved accuracy

Day 5: Data Visualization and Reporting

• Advanced charting techniques
• Creating dynamic dashboards
• PivotTables and PivotCharts for analysis
• Automating reports with macros

Practical Wins for Participants

• Create flexible, error-free financial models
• Implement data-driven forecasting techniques
• Perform advanced sensitivity analysis for risk assessment
• Develop visually appealing and insightful financial reports