Variance analysis is an important part of any profession related to finance. Companies constantly measure their actual results against plans, forecasts, past periods, competitors, etc. Such comparisons inevitably lead to differences and deviations that need to be explained. These deviations are most often related to the elements of the Profit and Loss report (P and L) and Cashflow compared with Plan and Previous year.
At first glance this is a purely technical exercise, however actually variance analysis has a significant impact on the management of the organization and the quality of decisions made. A high quality variance analysis allows to answer such questions as:
WHAT happened?
WHY did this happen?
HOW does this affect the future?
The last question obviously leads to the need to develop tactical solutions or refine the strategy
Having mastered the skills of variance analysis, a financial specialist will be able to go beyond the technical role of a “calculator”, become a business partner in his/her area of responsibility and make a significant contribution to business decision making
During this course, you will learn how to conduct a variance analysis of:
absolute values (revenue/cost/gross profit/net profit, etc.)
relative measures (average price per 1 kg; cost per 1m, etc.)
measures expressed as a % (% of gross/net profit)
mix of various kinds (geography, products, customers, SKUs, ingredients of the recipe, etc.)
total P and L from Revenue to Net earnings, as well as visualize the result using the Waterfall chart
The course is of particular value for employees of companies with a wide range of raw materials, semi finished products and finished products (manufacturing and retail)
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SKILLS YOU WILL GAIN
Variance analysis of absolute measures (revenue, cost, gross margin etc.)
Variance analysis of relative measures (average selling price per 1 kg, average production cost per 1 meter etc.)
Variance analysis of indicators expressed as % (% of gross profit, % of net earnings etc.)
Mix analysis (products/customers/SKU/ingredients/lines, etc.) on financial performance
WHAT YOU WILL LEARN
Apply Price/Vol/Mix approach when analyzing variable costs and revenue
Difference between fixed and variable costs, analysis of Energy and Labor in manufacturing environment