CFO/Controller's Roadmap to Success: Integrated Planning, Forecasting, and Budgeting

Overview

Did 2020 show us that planning doesn't work? It might seem that way. But, obviously some organizations survived far better than others due to their ability to handle unexpected change. Many organizations spend huge amounts of money and effort at planning, forecasting, and budgeting and all too often the three disciplines are separated and not connected throughout the company. It appears that people who are doing the strategic planning aren't talking with the people who are doing the budgeting or forecasting. Also, there is a lack of uniform accountability throughout the organization. The pandemic has shown us that our planning process must be far nimbler and allow our organization to shift rapidly. This course is designed to completely integrate the planning process and show how it can move from long-range thinking, through medium-term planning, through the annual budget, and to the monthly cash-flow forecast. This course will teach the participant how to avoid many political pitfalls that end up causing a lack of accountability and often cause the planning process to be demotivating to the staff. This isn't just a strategic planning course or a budgeting course. It is a course that looks at the entire planning process from beginning to end and shows how much smoother it can be when it is an integrated process. While it is a technical course discussing many of the technical tricks and tips for producing a good plan, it is also a management course in that it will discuss the political aspects of planning.

This course qualifies for reimbursement through the state’s Workforce Training Express Fund. As of April 7, 2025, the state’s Workforce Training Express Fund suspended reimbursements for training costs to Massachusetts businesses. While we don’t have a confirmed timeline for the program to resume, it will likely be sometime this summer. We will continue to monitor this closely and encourage you to visit the state’s Workforce Training website for the most current updates and guidance.

This course qualifies for reimbursement through the state’s Workforce Training Express Fund. Firms/companies with fewer than 50 staff can be reimbursed up to 100% of the cost of training and firms/companies with 50-100 employees can be reimbursed up to 50% of the cost of training. You must register for the course and apply for reimbursement through the Workforce Training Express Fund website a minimum of three weeks prior to the start of the course. The course code for this program is C-13015. To learn more, click here or contact Julia Ekelund at jekelund@masscpas.org.

Highlights

Differences between planning and budgeting Building change into the planning process The business model Strategic plan, marketing plan, and technology plan Financial forecasting and financial risk analysis Five-year operating plan and the sales/income plan Intermediate planning and capital equipment planning One-year operating plan and monthly planning Cash plan and risk plan

Prerequisites

Experience in financial management of a small or midsize company

Designed For

CFOs, controllers, and finance professionals

Objectives

Implement an integrated approach to planning, budgeting and forecasting for a more uniform process throughout the organization Avoid the political pitfalls that often come with the planning process and inhibit change Maximize the usefulness of the different plans developed for the organization Identify the differences between strategic and incremental planning Perform a financial risk analysis Perform an EVA analysis (PV, ROI and Modified ROI) Be familiar with the results of the case studies and exercises that reinforce key learning points throughout the course

Preparation

None