Elevating the Value of Variance Analysis

One of the most common criticisms of non-finance managers, executives, and directors is that they have difficulty understanding financial performance of their own organization. Often variance analysis is overwhelming, confusing, lacking in precision, begging more questions than it answers with superficial explanations. In this course, you will take a deep dive into how you can do variance analysis better. In the process, you will add significant value to management decision making. Variance analysis is about facilitating an active conversation among decision makers about the performance of the business. Success is achieved when issues are identified, understood, discussed and actions committed.

Using an audience centric view, you will learn best practices using examples and case studies to improve traditional variance analysis using numbers and descriptive explanations. You will also learn to make variance analysis more visual through charts, graphs and images. Finally, you will explore different structures that help facilitate a conversation about organizational performance using structuring and organized drill downs of various components of the business. This impactful course is relevant to any financial professional involved in the preparation, reporting, review, or presentation of variance analysis. Honing this skill elevates your own executive presence and the level of influence and persuasiveness inside your organization.