GoFast.Finance/CMA Part 1B: Planning, Budgeting, and Forecasting

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CMA Part 1B: Planning, Budgeting, and Forecasting

  • Course
  • 24 Lessons

Turn planning, budgeting and forecasting topics into a toolkit for building realistic plans and answering CMA Part 1B questions.

🧰 Planning toolkit and confidence: See how strategic planning, budgeting methodologies and forecasting techniques fit together in both work and exam cases.

🔄 Cleaner planning cycles: Use better structures and templates to work with cost center owners and leaders on realistic plans.

🎯 Stronger decisions: Produce plans, pro formas and cash projections that leaders can trust when setting targets and evaluating risk.

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Who this is for

FP&A analysts and controllers who maintain rolling forecasts and annual plans for plants, functions or regional business units.

Finance managers and CMA candidates wanting a work first map of planning, budgeting and forecasting topics.

Prerequisites

Knowledge: Experience contributing to at least one budget or forecast cycle plus basic financial statement knowledge.

Tools: Spreadsheet skills and access to standard planning templates; CMA approved calculator for exam style problems.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Map strategic goals into coherent planning, budgeting and forecasting frameworks.

  2. Apply forecasting techniques and budgeting methodologies to exam style numerical problems.

  3. Prepare annual profit plans and supporting pro forma financial statements.

  4. Evaluate planning assumptions and communicate implications for performance and risk.

CPE Information

  • Eligibility: currently not eligible

  • Watch time: about 3 hours

  • Total learning: about 6 hours

  • Estimated credits: 4.0

Contents

Module 1: Strategic planning into finance cycles

Lesson 1: Scanning external and internal drivers for plans
Lesson 2: Turning mission and goals into financial targets
Lesson 3: Aligning tactics and initiatives with strategy
Lesson 4: Using planning models and analytical tools
Lesson 5: What good strategic planning processes look like

Module 2: Budgeting concepts and process design

Lesson 6: Translating operations and performance goals into budgets
Lesson 7: Designing an effective budget process
Lesson 8: Using budgets to allocate scarce resources
Lesson 9: Core budgeting concepts and trade offs

Module 3: Forecasting techniques in practice

Lesson 10: Regression analysis for forecasting
Lesson 11: Using learning curves in time and cost forecasts
Lesson 12: Expected value for uncertain forecasts

Module 4: Budgeting methodologies in action

Lesson 13: Building the annual business plan and master budget
Lesson 14: Planning and controlling project budgets
Lesson 15: Activity based budgeting from drivers to numbers
Lesson 16: Zero based budgeting and challenge sessions
Lesson 17: Continuous and rolling budgets for live plans
Lesson 18: Flexible budgeting for volume driven analysis

Module 5: Annual profit plan and schedules

Lesson 19: Preparing operational budgets that reflect drivers
Lesson 20: Preparing financial budgets and funding views
Lesson 21: Integrating capital budgets into the annual plan

Module 6: Top level planning and analysis

Lesson 22: Building pro forma income statements from assumptions
Lesson 23: Projecting full financial statements
Lesson 24: Building and checking cash flow projections