An effective budget is probably the most valuable tool in a company’s arsenal for setting and meeting an annual profit target. In this course we discuss how to plan and carry out an effective budgeting process, and then how to use it to manage actual results and produce the bottom line goal envisioned by the budget.

We start by defining the tools that the planning department should develop on the front end – the launch directive and the data collection tools. Then we move on to cover best practices for building the budget in each key area – revenues, expenses, cash flow, capital expenditures and the balance sheet. The course then provides proven tools for monthly budget management – addressing problem areas, changing course and accountability. 

Learning Objectives
  • Explore how to design a budget launch package that will answer most users’ questions in advance and prevent the endless phone inquiries and late or incomplete submittals caused by user confusion.
  • Recognize how to explain for users the best mix of tools and techniques that are most likely to produce credible budgets that can be supported in analysis and achieved in bottom line results.
  • Identify the most common flaws in budget submittals by recognizing their causes.
  • Recognize why every budget must go beyond simply a P&L projection.
  • Discover the 5 things you should NOT do if you want your budget to be taken seriously.
  • Discover how to manage ongoing budget variance analysis in a way that demands accountability and enhances the likelihood that the budget goals will be achieved.

 

 

Last updated/reviewed: August 5, 2023
234 Reviews (1018 ratings)

Reviews

4
Member's Profile
This course provides a foundation for the budgeting process throughout the organization. It gives good examples as it goes along through the sections. It accomplished all of the stated objectives. I would recommend this course to others looking to gain some insight into the budget process and learn some ways to speed up the formulation of the budgets for their organizations.

5
Anonymous Author
Excellent course! I really liked the videos, slide handouts, and the instructor's presentation style - the combination of these three factors made the course engaging. As a corporate accountant not currently involved in company budgeting, this was a great introductory course to the process. It surprised me how in-depth and thoughtful the process must be.

5
Member's Profile
Enjoyed this class. This is great real world information that can be applied right away. I would like to have gone through an actual budget scenario. But the objective was clearly achieve. Would like a follow up class from this lecturer. The slide were easy to follow and the hand out is an great addition too.

5
Member's Profile
This is my first course I took. I thought it was very informative and had good insights about budgeting and best practices. I'm new to the controller role and recently pushed through my first budget cycle and there are things I learned about the process I wish I would have learned before I created the budget.

5
Member's Profile
I liked that the presenter had, Great screen association with the narrative. Great examples to reinforce the practice were provided. Great presentation flow. The presenter had real time examples of pit falls, best practices that made it easier to commit the idea to memory.

5
Anonymous Author
This was great crash course in budgeting. Gene pointed out some great steps to ensure budgets are well planned and have the appropriate buy in and oversight from executive leadership. He also shared some great approaches to coaching managers when budget targets are missed.

2
Anonymous Author
Out of the courses I've taken, this was not my favorite. it was a general overview but very dry and missing information I would have liked to have going deeper into the topics. The slides are not helpful after the fact and don't give good review material.

5
Anonymous Author
Budgeting is a challenging exercise for but having this as a guideline is very helpful. Thanks for the excel model! Just getting started is sometimes the hardest part of budgeting, but the best practices is a added bonus for taking this course.

5
Member's Profile
Very good overview of the budget process, stressing importance of integrating the budget with the operating plan, plus and of buy in and accountability. Also discussed what to do when actuals differ significantly from the budget.

5
Member's Profile
This is an excellent refresher course that I would recommend. It is a good suggestion to keep the slide materials for future reference and is also great for recertification of the CPP. I highly recommend this course.

5
Anonymous Author
I thought this course was very informative. It gave good direction and pointers on how to develop a solid budget. I really thought the portion on planning as i agree the planning can really influence the outcome.

4
Member's Profile
Working for a public utility a few aspects of the course were not as relevant, but gleaned some important items to consider doing differently we we commence our next budget that should make for a better process.

5
Anonymous Author
Enjoyed this great overview of the budgeting process. In particular it was helpful to consider pros and cons of Excel vs budgeting software. It was also interesting to go over tips and things to not do.

5
Member's Profile
This was a good overview of budgeting practices. I liked that the course material contained an excel budget model, so we could look at numbers "hands on" and see how the model really works in practice.

4
Anonymous Author
This is a good overview of Best Practices in Budgeting. It introduces or provides a refresher of items to consider, watch out for and implement to make the budget/budgeting process successful.

4
Anonymous Author
This course presented practical and theoretical budget concepts that are relevant to both finance and operational roles. The course moved quickly through the material and was well-organized.

4
Member's Profile
Mr. Siciliano spoke clearly and got to the point. I wish he had not taped the parts where he coughed. He could have stopped the mike and retaped. Thanks you for the integrated excel model!

5
Anonymous Author
Gene really explained the ins and outs of the budget process. This course is a great tool to a successful budget for your organization. Truly enjoyed this course and can highly recommend.

4
Anonymous Author
This is a good overview for building the budget process. I do appreciate that there is a strong suggestion to get the business partners involved and not just this be a finance project.

5
Member's Profile
This was a great 1 hour course for budgeting. It gave real examples while explaining the process and potential issues one faces when working on a budget with minimal to no variables.

4
Anonymous Author
As a company trying to grow significantly, putting together a good operating plan is essential. This was a great refresher on concepts and ways to manage things more effectively.

5
Anonymous Author
.................................................................................................................................................................................

4
Anonymous Author
This class was concise and the instructor was very clear in his presentation. It would be helpful to provide examples to better understand the concepts mentioned in the course.

5
Anonymous Author
I liked that the lecture went into specifics of each of the financial statements. It also helped to have the excel spreadsheet to follow along when he covered certain topics.

4
Anonymous Author
Nice introduction to budgeting principles and models to follow. Budgeting is such an important aspect of business especially for subsidiaries reporting to parent companies.

5
Member's Profile
Even though I've run many budget processes this gives a nice summation of what you need to do and reminds me critical ways to get buy in and evaluate the budget over time

4
Member's Profile
The instructor gave good examples and didn't just read the slides. the model provided is a good starting place for a small company that sells one or two major products.

4
Anonymous Author
The course was informative, but as another reviewer stated, it's not as pertinent for those of us who work for a public agency. Still, I would recommend this course.

5
Anonymous Author
a really solid high level review of the budgeting process and why we go through this each year. Would actually be useful for non finance people to take this class

5
Member's Profile
The course covered a wide variety of budget issues, from what tools to use, to how to set up the bugdget, to how to do budget reviews, to when to redo a budget.

5
Member's Profile
An informative and insightful course on the budgeting process. It discusses how a good budgeting process should be and the benefit of doing it appropriately.

5
Anonymous Author
I already knew most of the material from having managed the company-wide budget process for many years, but there were still some nuggets of wisdom in there.

4
Member's Profile
I found the Budget Preparation Process and the Managing to the Budget sections most informative in terms of things I should incorporate into my processes.

4
Anonymous Author
Helpful and useful information at a foundational level. Well taught at an appropriate pace. The link between each of the budgets was good to highlight.

5
Member's Profile
Gene does a comprehensive presentation of budgets, the purpose and practical knowledge. This is a great course to lay a solid foundation to build on.

5
Anonymous Author
Great course! I like the 3 magic questions that the instructor talked about. It is true that these are very powerful questions and are very useful.

4
Member's Profile
The audio on the course was sometimes to low and it made it difficult to hear at times. I thought the budget model was good and helpful as a tool

4
Member's Profile
Great course - I work in higher education versus a corporate setting, but could relate a lot of this material to improve our budgeting process.

4
Member's Profile
Some of the question in the exam to me I don't recall being covered exactly by the instructor. Overall good summary of overall budget process.

4
Member's Profile
Good tips regarding budgeting process. Author takes you through the process with questions, tips and ideas you could implement very quickly.

3
Anonymous Author
This was a very basic, entry level course on budgeting. I did do a nice job discussing questions to ask when there are variances to budget.

5
Member's Profile
It was easy to understand and will be very useful and helpful to anybody who will be doing budgeting or anybody who needs to use a budget.

4
Anonymous Author
Good overview of the budgeting process. Will help those trying to gain a fundamental understanding of how to create and manage a budget.

4
Anonymous Author
The course was interesting but not quite what I expected. I was looking forward to actually creating a budget, but that did not happen.

5
Member's Profile
The material was great, the speaker new his material very well, but the audio kept fading in and out and was very crackly at times.

5
Anonymous Author
Covers the basics - more attuned to beginners. Very good strategy to employ all of the financial statements in the budget process.

5
Member's Profile
This is an informative course. The presenter is engaging and his common sense explanations makes the subject matter easy to grasp.

5
Member's Profile
As someone who undertook the budgeting process for the first time, i found this to have a lot of useful tips to avoid shortfalls.

Anonymous Author
The instructor covered the entire budget process in a very simple way. There's also a sample budget xlsx included in the course.

5
Anonymous Author
This course provided a good overview of the importance of creating an effective budget along with the elements that are involved.

4
Anonymous Author
This provides a lot of good common sense reminders about how to operate budget prep and budget accountability from the CFO role.

5
Member's Profile
A nice, thorough review of the topic, which reinforces that there's no magic to budgeting, just good common sense and practice.

3
Member's Profile
not applicable.

5
Member's Profile
Great overview of the budgeting process. The 3 magic questions are critically important to instilling a good budget annually.

4
Anonymous Author
Useful, but some information didn't go into depth enough to easily go through the exam, where questions were very granular.

4
Member's Profile
Good, concise explanation of the budget process with some thoughtful best practices thrown in. Very helpful and informative.

5
Anonymous Author
This course provided a helpful overview on budget planning and covered aspects including cash flow budget which was good.

5
Anonymous Author
This course provided a good refresher of budgeting best practices and what to do in order to course correct if necessary.

5
Anonymous Author
Another great course that all Accounting and Finance professionals involved in the Budgeting process would benefit from.

5
Member's Profile
I enjoyed learning about the budget preparation process as well as the income statement. This was a very helpful course.

4
Anonymous Author
course is good, especially if you are not involved in FP&A activities, it helps you to understand their responsibilities

5
Anonymous Author
This was a good overview of the budgeting process. It has a lot of good information that I can apply in real life work.

4
Anonymous Author
Material was very relevant to subject matter. Could have provided some guidance on how to use EXCEL budget worksheet.

5
Anonymous Author
This course gave helpful lessons on creating a good budget plan as I look to move forward towards a manager position.

4
Member's Profile
Great tips on how and why we need budget and also knowing the relationship between the different financial reports.

5
Anonymous Author
Good review of the budgeting process. I liked the analysis of each budgeted statement - P&L, cash, balance sheet.

5
Member's Profile
This course was very good in explaining developing a budget and how to avoid mistakes in implementing a good budget.

4
Anonymous Author
I thought this course was very informative of a variety of budgeting plans. I thought the examples were helpful.

4
Member's Profile
I found this to be a strong course with new insights that I think will be helpful as I work on next year's budget.

4
Member's Profile
Wonderful course. Well-designed and informative. Most of the information is very useful for preparing a Budget.

3
Member's Profile
Very simplistic information which would be useful for someone who has never been through the budgetting process.

3
Member's Profile
Simple and straightforward presentation. Point to include line managers in budget preparation a good reminder.

4
Anonymous Author
Excellent course that takes us through the thought processes behind the development and practical use of budgets

5
Member's Profile
A valuable course with actionable items that can be put into practice when developing and/or managing a budget.

5
Member's Profile
Good class, good slides, I liked the presenter, he made many good points about budgets that I was not aware of.

5
Anonymous Author
This was a great high level overview of the budget process - I think most people will get something out of it.

5
Member's Profile
Really enjoyed this course and plan on applying knowledge. Instructor was clear, material put together well.

5
Anonymous Author
This was a good overview for budget beginners. It covered the primary topics needed for a successful budget.

5
Anonymous Author
The course was very interesting and you can easily see how it can impact how you devise and manage a budget.

5
Anonymous Author
A great course. If new to the topic, a must see again.A great course. If new to the topic, a must see again.

4
Anonymous Author
This was a course that provided helpful and useful information related to the budgeting and review process.

4
Anonymous Author
Very in depth about all aspects of the budgeting process and some tools to use. A good general overview.

5
Member's Profile
Excellent course pace, completeness and learning objectives a must to better understand the budget cycle.

5
Member's Profile
Awesome, very clear in details and great methods for communicating and managing the budget company wide.

4
Anonymous Author
Easy to listen too. Practical. Good summary of three key questions to ask when actual off from budget.

4
Anonymous Author
This is a great overview and review on budgeting. Great budget tips are given that one can put into use.

5
Member's Profile
Not lost in details, gave a great overview of the entire process with tips along each step of the way.

4
Member's Profile
This was a decent overview. The excel file is good food for thought for budget creation ideas though.

4
Anonymous Author
I think this was very informative information for anyone looking to start budgeting for their company.

5
Anonymous Author
I do not have experience with budgeting, so this course gave me some needed info to better understand

5
Member's Profile
I was looking for a good review of the accounting basics that I have not used in a while. Thank you.

5
Anonymous Author
Solid course, learned a lot. The information was presented in a very organized and efficient manner.

4
Anonymous Author
This course provides a good high-level overview of the entire budget process from beginning to end.

4
Anonymous Author
Good and short basic information of the budgeting process. High level ideas on the overall process.

5
Anonymous Author
I'll be using these best practices in my budgeting procedures going forward. Enjoyed the material!!

5
Anonymous Author
Simple and concise, great for those starting out with the budgeting process in their organization.

4
Member's Profile
Good review of considerations and processes to go through when preparing and then using a budget.

5
Member's Profile
The course was very interesting and gave a great overview about how to create and manage a budget.

5
Anonymous Author
Information was presented in a clear and concise manner. Made a complex topic easy to comprehend.

5
Member's Profile
Easy to follow and good information. Instructor is very knowledgeable and is easy to understand.

4
Member's Profile
The topics were very organized and it was good to have na overall idea of the budgeting process.

5
Anonymous Author
Great topic and well-written course. Gave me a great refresher on why budgets are so important.

3
Anonymous Author
It was an ok course, good info on budgeting, managing to the budget and capital expenditures.

4
Member's Profile
a bit too abstract, some more real quick example would help, this is not a 1 credit course...

5
Anonymous Author
Great overview of budgeting process. Useful tips that help to gain buy in from all team members

5
Anonymous Author
This course provided practical instructions that can be deployed in a business to great effect.

5
Member's Profile
Good information. Having been through the budget process several times, this was a good review.

5
Member's Profile
Very good overall material to understand the basics of the budgeting process in an organization

5
Anonymous Author
This course was informative and straightforward. The material presented was clear and concise.

5
Member's Profile
Good overview of the process from beginning to end with sound advice along the way. Thank you.

5
Anonymous Author
What an amazing course for budgeting best practices. What a great way to present this subject.

4
Anonymous Author
This was an interesting overview of budget management and the slides were helpful. Thank you.

5
Anonymous Author
Helpful for me to learn more about budget given i dont have much involvement on a daily basis

4
Member's Profile
The final exam questions weren't necessarily covered in the presentation and were subjective.

4
Member's Profile
This was a good review of the fundamentals of the budgeting process. The presenter was clear.

5
Member's Profile
Liked the methodical approach and the level of detail included for each step of the process.

4
Anonymous Author
Excellent walk through of the budget process with great tips for getting involvement by all.

5
Member's Profile
I appreciated the breadth of the course content...that it reviewed the entire budget cycle.

4
Member's Profile
This is a good course to take if you have not been through a well structured budget process.

5
Anonymous Author
The course was easy to follow. It covered a great deal of material, but summarized it well.

5
Member's Profile
Great walkthrough of budgeting process. The excel example is a great template for reference.

5
Member's Profile
Great course, very informative and easy to listen to. I liked the supplemental materials.

4
Member's Profile
The course was good. I am not sure if the topic applies too much to the field of payroll.

5
Member's Profile
easy to understand, good wording, an excel booksheet available for study, great course.

5
Anonymous Author
This was a useful course that helped outline some very useful best budgeting practices.

5
Anonymous Author
Nice and basic course for both the financial user and the non-financial user of budget.

5
Anonymous Author
This was a wonderful course with a wealth of information to help understand it better

4
Anonymous Author
Good presentation. Explained whole budget process, the whats and whys of each step.

5
Anonymous Author
Very informative course on the basics of budgeting and where to begin the process.

4
Member's Profile
Good basic information but more practical examples may be included as a real cases

3
Member's Profile
Good general practices for creating annual budgets and monthly variance analysis.

4
Member's Profile
Would recommend to other Finance professionals. The topics covered were relevant.

5
Anonymous Author
Excellent overview of the budget process. This was a quick review and refresher.

4
Member's Profile
Good coverage of the topic delivered in a nicely paced presentation. Well done!

5
Member's Profile
I liked the course very much, for its clarity in content, and succinct delivery.

3
Member's Profile
Basic overview of the purpose and outline of a budget. More for new managers.

3
Anonymous Author
Expecting a little more substance but descent overview of process and key terms.

3
Member's Profile
Helpful class that provided some reminders that I have forgotten over the years.

2
Anonymous Author
Instructor is very dry and monotone. Low quality of production in the webinar.

5
Member's Profile
this is a good course for anyone who wants to get involved in the fp&a process

5
Anonymous Author
great course. very easy to understand. Find it very useful and easy to apply

5
Member's Profile
Good course - straightforward clear tips on creating and managing a budget.

5
Anonymous Author
This was a good how-to that should make your budget process go more smoothly.

5
Anonymous Author
Very informative course. I really learned a lot about the budgeting process.

3
Anonymous Author
Great for someone new to budgeting, not so much for experienced individuals.

4
Member's Profile
Good information on budgets and how to manage expectations and also review.

5
Anonymous Author
Nice course on budgeting. Supporting materials were very clear and concise.

5
Member's Profile
Good overview of budgeting process. Would recommend as introductory level.

5
Anonymous Author
This is a great course for someone trying to improve their budget process.

5
Anonymous Author
Really good presentation, organized and summarized well with good tips.

4
Anonymous Author
some good information on budgeting best practices, a few things to ponder

5
Anonymous Author
great course would definitely recommend. passed on 1st try please take it

5
Anonymous Author
Good foundation budget course that is well structured and well presented.

5
Member's Profile
This is a good course and everyone can benefit on how to handle a budget.

4
Member's Profile
A good 101 for bugdeting starters. Easy to understand, close to reality.

5
Anonymous Author
Informative and good reminders too. In a way this was a good refresher.

5
Anonymous Author
The presentation was very clear and informative with relevant examples.

5
Member's Profile
Well organized overview of the budgeting process. Enjoyed the course.

4
Anonymous Author
Good course with lots of valuable info. Course length was just right.

5
Member's Profile
I enjoyed this course. It provided a lot of very helpful information!

Anonymous Author
Fairly high level, but a good review of the budgeting process itself

5
Anonymous Author
This was a very good review of best practices for creating a budget.

5
Anonymous Author
This is a very good crash course on budgeting. Simple but powerful.

4
Member's Profile
Course was interesting and contained a lot of valuable information.

5
Member's Profile
wonderful course and helpful for payroll professionals in business.

5
Member's Profile
Great course to gain a greater understanding of the budget process

5
Member's Profile
good but slightly boring. i did learn alot about budgeting though!

5
Member's Profile
A good introductory course; to the point, with clear explanations.

4
Anonymous Author
Good course for budget basics and reminding me of the fundamentals

4
Member's Profile
good review of best practices developed over years of experience.

4
Anonymous Author
the course was informative. needed more details Thanks!

5
Member's Profile
insightful and informative information on budgets do and dont's

4
Anonymous Author
Good overview of the budgeting best practices. Needed review.

5
Anonymous Author
Good refresher course on budgeting process and best practices.

3
Member's Profile
good enough for me to get my cpes for my cia and cpa licenses

5
Member's Profile
Clear and quick presentation with obvious real life examples.

5
Member's Profile
Great budgeting refresh course. I would recommend this course

4
Anonymous Author
This course was a good refresher on Budgeting Best Practices.

4
Member's Profile
Good course for anyone wanting to learning budgeting basics.

5
Anonymous Author
Good course. Timely for persons who have upcoming budgets.

5
Member's Profile
Amazing class. I learned much about the budgeting routine.

3
Member's Profile
Provides a good basic overview of the budgeting process.

5
Member's Profile
Excellent materials, overview and review. Well structured.

4
Member's Profile
Simple explanations and a good reminder of the processes

5
Anonymous Author
Great course to develop budgeting skills for beginners.

5
Anonymous Author
Well-presented overview with high level best practices.

4
Member's Profile
Easy subject and properly explained for understanding.

5
Member's Profile
This webinar is very interesting and very informative.

5
Anonymous Author
Relevant, real world examples. Easy to follow models

3
Anonymous Author
Budgeting Best Practices This is a helpful course.

5
Anonymous Author
the course was informative without being too detailed

5
Member's Profile
Great charts and questions for analyzing the budget.

3
Member's Profile
Very informative and high-level review of budgeting.

4
Anonymous Author
Informative and a good look at reviewing budgeting

4
Anonymous Author
Overall a good course on budgeting best practices.

5
Member's Profile
Very informative. Concepts are easy to understand.

5
Member's Profile
Practical orientation to current budget practices

4
Anonymous Author
Good overview with useful takeaway materials.

5
Member's Profile
excellent course, very engaging presentation

4
Member's Profile
Provides some good tools for budget process.

5
Anonymous Author
great overview of the entire budget process

5
Anonymous Author
The excel part should be treated as well.

3
Anonymous Author
Do not want to go into upper management.

5
Member's Profile
Detailed presentation with examples

4
Member's Profile
Subjective questions in some cases

3
Anonymous Author
Could have used a bit more detail

5
Member's Profile
Very informative and helpful.

4
Anonymous Author
Budgeting is a key function.

5
Member's Profile
concise and to the point

4
Anonymous Author
ok course, fairly basic

5
Anonymous Author
Straight forward advice

5
Member's Profile
Hit all the key topics.

Member's Profile
Could have been better

5
Member's Profile
Interesting overview

2
Member's Profile
interesting Course

5
Member's Profile
It's challenging.

4
Anonymous Author
very interesting.

3
Member's Profile
Felt a bit slow

4
Member's Profile
Very informative

4
Member's Profile
Very insightful

4
Anonymous Author
Basic budgeting

4
Anonymous Author
Good overview.

4
Anonymous Author
Good refresher

3
Member's Profile
Good speaker.

3
Anonymous Author
Good document

4
Anonymous Author
nice overview

4
Member's Profile
Good Course

3
Anonymous Author
Good Course

4
Member's Profile
It was ok

5
Member's Profile
Helpful

3
Anonymous Author
helpful

5
Anonymous Author
Great!

4
Anonymous Author
good!

3
Anonymous Author
l

Prerequisites
Course Complexity: Intermediate

Prerequisites: A solid understanding of the interrelationship of the basic financial statements to one another and a moderate knowledge of Microsoft Excel.

Advance Preparation:  None

 

Education Provider Information
Company: Illumeo, Inc., 75 East Santa Clara St., Suite 1215, San Jose, CA 95113
Contact: For more information regarding this course, including complaint and cancellation policies, please contact our offices at (408) 400- 3993 or send an e-mail to .
Course Questions and Answers(5 Questions)
Member's Profile

Given the primacy of the income statement, do folks ever just redo that if something happens to invalidate the budget during the year?

Member's Profile

Assuming your word "just" means "only", keep in mind that accounting requires a debit and a credit. If P&L changes are simply moving money from one expense item to another, there may be no need to impact cash flow or balance sheet. If however there is an additional expense planned, or an additional capital expenditure, then the budget change must necessarily impact cash flow and the balance sheet as well. Otherwise the integrated budget model will not balance and the cash flow and balance sheet will not reflect what is actually planned after the change.

Member's Profile

Thanks, Gene; a helpful clarification. I should have made clear my reference to "invalidate the budget" only referred to the revenue and cost budget items in the CoA that are rolled up into the income statement.

Member's Profile

My answer is the same, Alan, but perhaps not clearly enough stated. If you still need some clarification, give me a call and we can talk about it.

Member's Profile

Will do; thanks for the offer.

Instructor for this course
Course Syllabus
INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW
Budgeting Best Practices
  The Budget Preparation Process 13:45
  The Income Statement 12:24
  Cash Flow, Balance Sheet and CAPEX12:06
CONCLUSION
  Managing to The Budget16:25
Continuous Play
  Budgeting Best Practices Full Video58:35
SUPPORTING MATERIALS
  Slides: Budgeting Best PracticesPDF
  Budgeting Best Practices Glossary/IndexPDF
  Budgeting Best Practices - Integrated Excel ModelXLSX
REVIEW & TEST
  REVIEW QUESTIONSquiz
 FINAL EXAMexam