FP&A Course

Lesson 1 • Key Stakeholders and Business Partnering

Maps internal and external stakeholders FP&A serves and how influence is built. Establishes the partnering mindset required throughout the course.

Lesson 2 • The FP&A Calendar and Planning Cycle

Outlines the annual rhythm of budgeting, forecasting, and reporting activities. Sets expectations for workload and sequencing across the full course.

Lesson 3 • The FP&A Function Defined

Defines FP&A's mandate, organizational placement, and key responsibilities. Anchors all subsequent topics in a clear professional context.

Lesson 4 • Key Performance Indicators and Metrics

Introduces financial and operational KPIs used to measure business health. Prepares students to select and track metrics in later planning work.

Lesson 1 • Core Spreadsheet Techniques for FP&A

Teaches lookup, conditional, and aggregation formulas essential for FP&A work. Efficiency with these tools accelerates every subsequent modeling task.

Lesson 2 • Building a Three-Statement Model

Constructs a fully integrated income statement, balance sheet, and cash flow model. This integrated model is the backbone of budgeting and scenario analysis.

Lesson 3 • Model Architecture and Design Principles

Covers layout standards, separation of inputs and outputs, and documentation habits. Good architecture prevents errors and speeds up model maintenance.

Lesson 4 • Model Quality Assurance

Introduces checks, reconciliations, and peer-review processes to validate models. Ensures outputs are trustworthy before they reach decision-makers.

Lesson 1 • Revenue Budgeting Techniques

Covers methods for projecting revenue by segment, product, and channel. Accurate revenue budgets anchor all downstream cost and cash planning.

Lesson 2 • Budget Consolidation and Reconciliation

Aggregates departmental submissions into a single company-wide budget model. Reconciliation ensures intercompany eliminations and totals are accurate.

Lesson 3 • Budget Presentation and Approval

Structures the budget narrative and executive presentation for board approval. Persuasive framing of assumptions builds confidence in the plan.

Lesson 4 • Expense Budgeting and Cost Classification

Teaches fixed, variable, and semi-variable cost budgeting across departments. Proper cost classification improves variance analysis accuracy later.

Lesson 1 • Forecasting Fundamentals and Bias

Distinguishes forecast types and identifies cognitive biases that distort accuracy. Awareness of bias is the first step toward disciplined forecasting.

Lesson 2 • Quantitative Forecasting Techniques

Applies trend analysis, regression, and time-series methods to financial data. Quantitative rigor reduces reliance on gut-feel estimates.

Lesson 3 • Forecast Review and Continuous Improvement

Establishes a structured review process to track accuracy and refine methods. Continuous improvement loops raise forecast quality over time.

Lesson 4 • Rolling Forecast Design and Cadence

Builds a rolling 12- to 18-month forecast that updates each period automatically. Rolling forecasts keep the business forward-looking beyond the budget year.

Lesson 1 • Sensitivity Analysis Techniques

Identifies which assumptions most influence financial outcomes using sensitivity tests. Knowing key sensitivities focuses management attention on critical risks.

Lesson 2 • Building Scenario Models in Spreadsheets

Implements scenario toggle switches and data tables in financial models. Efficient model design allows instant switching between scenario outputs.

Lesson 3 • Scenario Planning Concepts

Defines scenario types and their role in strategic and operational planning. Scenarios convert uncertainty into structured, actionable planning inputs.

Lesson 4 • Monte Carlo Simulation Basics

Introduces probability distributions and simulation to model outcome ranges. Simulation provides a richer risk picture than deterministic scenarios alone.

Lesson 1 • Communicating Variance Insights

Translates numerical findings into clear business stories for non-finance audiences. Strong communication converts analysis into management action.

Lesson 2 • Management Reporting Design

Designs concise, decision-focused management reports and dashboards. Effective report design reduces time-to-insight for executives.

Lesson 3 • Cost and Margin Variance Analysis

Analyzes gross margin, operating expense, and EBITDA variances by driver. Cost variance insights feed directly into corrective action planning.

Lesson 4 • Variance Analysis Framework

Introduces price, volume, mix, and rate variance decomposition methods. A structured framework ensures no driver of variance is overlooked.

Lesson 1 • Return Metrics and Payback Analysis

Calculates IRR, ROIC, and payback period to complement NPV analysis. Multiple metrics provide a fuller picture of investment attractiveness.

Lesson 2 • Capital Allocation Framework

Establishes how organizations prioritize and govern capital spending decisions. A clear framework prevents misallocation and aligns investment with strategy.

Lesson 3 • Post-Investment Review Process

Compares actual investment outcomes to original projections to improve future decisions. Post-reviews create accountability and sharpen forecasting assumptions.

Lesson 4 • Discounted Cash Flow Analysis

Builds DCF models projecting free cash flows and discounting at the cost of capital. DCF is the primary valuation tool for investment decisions.

Lesson 1 • Communicating Strategy Through Financials

Translates long-range financial plans into compelling investor and board narratives. Financial storytelling is the capstone skill of strategic FP&A.

Lesson 2 • Long-Range Planning Process

Designs a three- to five-year financial planning process aligned with corporate strategy. Long-range plans bridge annual budgets and strategic ambitions.

Lesson 3 • Value Creation and Value Drivers

Links financial outcomes to shareholder value using value driver trees. Understanding value drivers focuses FP&A effort on highest-impact levers.

Lesson 4 • Mergers, Acquisitions, and Portfolio Decisions

Applies FP&A skills to M&A screening, synergy modeling, and portfolio reviews. Strategic transactions require the same rigor as operational planning.