Finance and TreasuryPreparing and Managing the Organisational Budget
Budgets are commonly built by asking each department what it needs, adding the answers, and then cutting everything by a uniform percentage, which rewards whoever inflated their submission most. This course covers building one properly. Delegates work through assumptions and the small number that determine most of the result, the guidance and templates that make departmental submissions comparable, and the challenge conversation that tests a number rather than accepting it. Consolidation, iteration and reconciling a budget to a target follow. Approval, allocation and locking a baseline are covered. Monthly monitoring, variance analysis and the difference between a timing difference and a real overspend are addressed. The course closes on reforecasting and on the virement rules that keep control without paralysis.
Course objectives
- Set the assumptions that determine most of the result
- Issue guidance and templates that make submissions comparable
- Challenge a submitted number rather than accepting it
- Consolidate, iterate and reconcile a budget to a target
- Monitor monthly and separate timing differences from real overspend
- Reforecast during the year without abandoning control
- Apply virement rules that maintain control without paralysis
Who should attend
- Budget holders and departmental managers
- Finance officers coordinating the annual budget cycle
- Programme and project managers with allocated budgets
- Newly appointed finance managers
- NGO and donor funded project accountants
Course outline
- 01Adding submissions and cutting uniformly
- 02Assumptions that drive the result
- 03Guidance, templates and comparability
- 04Departmental submissions and challenge
- 05Consolidation and iteration
- 06Approval, allocation and baseline
- 07Monthly monitoring and variance analysis
- 08Timing differences, reforecasting and virement
Scheduled sessions
| Dates | Venue | Format | Price | Register |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 to 28 October 2026 | Pretoria, South Africa | Classroom | R14,950 per delegate | Register Now |
| 30 November to 2 December 2026 | Online | Online | R6,500 per delegate | Register Now |
| 30 December 2026 to 1 January 2027 | Cape Town, South Africa | Classroom | R14,950 per delegate | Register Now |
| 11 to 13 January 2027 | Windhoek, Namibia | Classroom | R14,950 per delegate | Register Now |
| 15 to 17 February 2027 | Johannesburg, South Africa | Classroom | R14,950 per delegate | Register Now |