IT023C : Business Analysis and Planning: Using Excel What-If Analysis

Programme Objective

Financial models are valuable tools to support management decision making. With globalization and rapid changes, we need to be able to provide top management with quick, useful and up-to-date information and analysis for better decision making.

There are a few under-utilized gems in Excel that could very much help you in this aspect of your work.

This application-driven, hands-on practical 1-day programme is designed to help you learn about and master this hidden gem - Excel what-if analysis tools.

It allows you to explore different scenarios without changing the values in your worksheets. What-if Analysis tools are particularly useful for finance, economics and management professionals as well as business owners as you could see how different values affect models, formulas and projected profit or cost.

In this 1-day programme, you will learn to solve business problems by performing Excel what-if analysis together with Macro and VBA.

Develop interactive models for decision making, perform simulations, sensitivity and scenario analysis (best, expected and worst case) for project / investment evaluation and resource planning and allocation.

Utilize the Power of Excel to optimize (maximize or minimize) certain business objectives within a specific set of business and/or operation constraints.

At the end of the programme, participants will be able to:

• Acquire one of the must-have skills of every business analyst/controller and information worker: One that is efficient and dynamic and leaving them with more time to collaborate with their CEOs and business owners in making better business decisions to propel the business towards greater growth and excellence;

• Develop interactive models for decision making, perform simulations, sensitivity and scenario analysis (best, expected and worst case) for project / investment evaluation and resource planning;

• Utilize the Power of Excel to achieve business goals;

• Build financial model so that last minute sensitivity model can be easily created, analyzed and presented;

• Work with macros and VBA that will save you time and make your work easier.   

Programme Outline

This programme is not about teaching you how to use everything about Excel. You should already know how to use the basic features of Excel, such as workbooks, worksheets, cells, formulas, menus and toolbars.

The focus is on Excel's hidden gem - Excel what-if analysis tools.   It will show you how what-if analysis tools could be utilized in your daily work, using case studies and active discussions.

• Learn how to build effective Financial Model quickly and effectively to meet business needs;

• Develop effective Financial Model to evaluate new product;

• Understand cash flow statement vs. profit and loss statement;

• Understand mathematical relationships between financial variables;

• Identify key drivers and understand risks;

• Calculate DCF and NPV;

• Create Data Table to assess the impact of variables and overcome restrictions in Data Table;

• Handle uncertainty in investment / project evaluation;

• Perform Sensitivity Analysis;

• Create effective charts to present decision-making models;

• Solve business problems with Goal Seek;

• Troubleshooting Goal Seek;

• Explore alternative data sets with scenarios;

• Create, display, edit, add and deleting scenarios;

• Troubleshooting scenarios;

• Use Excel to optimize certain business objectives (maximize profit or minimize costs) within a specific set of constraints (such as capital, manpower, raw material etc);

• Use Excel to determine the optimal product mix, schedule your workforce and for capital budgeting and project management;