Introduction

As businesses increasingly prioritize agility and collaboration, the shift from traditional, on-premise financial systems to cloud-based solutions has become a necessity. Static spreadsheets and siloed data no longer meet the demands of modern financial planning and analysis. Cloud-based budgeting and planning platforms offer a transformative approach by providing real-time data access, enhanced security, and seamless collaboration across departments, enabling organizations to respond to market changes with speed and precision. This technology is essential for any finance team looking to move beyond manual processes and embrace a more dynamic, strategic role.

This intensive 5-day training course is designed to provide you with the practical skills and strategic knowledge to implement and master cloud-based financial planning systems. Through hands-on exercises, you will learn to configure, manage, and leverage these powerful tools for budgeting, forecasting, and advanced reporting. By the end of this program, you will not only be proficient in using these systems but will also understand how to drive organizational efficiency, improve decision-making, and lead your company into a new era of proactive financial management.

Duration:

5 Days

Target Audience

• Financial Analysts and Managers
• Budgeting and Forecasting Professionals
• Chief Financial Officers (CFOs)
• Accounting and Controlling Staff
• Business Intelligence Specialists
• IT Professionals supporting Finance
• Financial System Administrators
• Strategic Planners
• Operations and Department Managers
• Project Managers

Objectives

• Understand the key benefits of moving to a cloud-based financial planning system.
• Learn to navigate and configure a typical cloud budgeting platform.
• Master the process of data integration and consolidation from various sources.
• Build and manage flexible budgeting and forecasting models.
• Create dynamic reports and dashboards for real-time visibility.
• Conduct sophisticated "what-if" scenario analysis.
• Develop a strategy for successful system implementation and user adoption.
• Ensure data security and compliance within a cloud environment.
• Drive collaboration and alignment across business units.

Course Modules

Module 1: Introduction to Cloud Financial Systems

• The shift from on-premise to cloud solutions.
• Core features and architecture of cloud-based planning tools.
• Benefits: enhanced collaboration, accessibility, and scalability.
• Comparing leading cloud budgeting platforms.
• The role of security and data governance in the cloud.

Module 2: System Configuration and Master Data

• Navigating the user interface and setting up the system.
• Defining organizational structures and hierarchies.
• Configuring master data, including accounts, entities, and scenarios.
• Setting up user roles and permissions.
• Understanding data dimensions and their importance.

Module 3: Data Integration and Consolidation

• Connecting to source systems (ERPs, spreadsheets, CRMs).
• Performing data transformations and cleansing.
• Automating the data loading and consolidation process.
• Ensuring data integrity and accuracy.
• Best practices for managing historical data.

Module 4: Building Budgets and Forecasts

• Designing a budget structure that meets business needs.
• Using driver-based and zero-based budgeting methodologies.
• Creating rolling forecasts and dynamic models.
• Incorporating assumptions and variance analysis.
• Automating the budget submission and approval workflow.

Module 5: Advanced Analytics and Reporting

• Creating interactive dashboards for real-time insights.
• Developing custom reports for different stakeholders.
• Performing ad-hoc analysis and data slicing.
• Conducting "what-if" and scenario modeling.
• Utilizing embedded analytics and visualization features.

Module 6: Implementation and Change Management

• Developing a project plan for system implementation.
• The importance of stakeholder engagement and communication.
• Training end-users and building a support framework.
• Managing the transition from old to new systems.
• Measuring the return on investment (ROI) of the implementation.

Module 7: The Strategic Evolution

• Leveraging the system for strategic planning and long-range modeling.
• The future of financial planning with emerging technologies.
• Optimizing system performance and scalability.
• Staying updated with new features and best practices.
• Creating a continuous improvement roadmap.

Training Approach

This course will be delivered by our skilled trainers who have vast knowledge and experience as expert professionals in the fields. The course is taught in English and through a mix of theory, practical activities, group discussion and case studies. Course manuals and additional training materials will be provided to the participants upon completion of the training.

Tailor-Made Course

This course can also be tailor-made to meet organization requirement. For further inquiries, please contact us on: Email: info@skillsforafrica.org, training@skillsforafrica.org Tel: +254 702 249 449

Training Venue

The training will be held at our Skills for Africa Training Institute Training Centre. We also offer training for a group at requested location all over the world. The course fee covers the course tuition, training materials, two break refreshments, and buffet lunch.

Visa application, travel expenses, airport transfers, dinners, accommodation, insurance, and other personal expenses are catered by the participant

Certification

Participants will be issued with Skills for Africa Training Institute certificate upon completion of this course.

Airport Pickup and Accommodation

Airport pickup and accommodation is arranged upon request. For booking contact our Training Coordinator through Email: info@skillsforafrica.org, training@skillsforafrica.org Tel: +254 702 249 449

Terms of Payment: Unless otherwise agreed between the two parties’ payment of the course fee should be done 7 working days before commencement of the training.