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Budgeting, Forecasting and Cost Control

Build budgets that survive contact with reality. Zero based principles, rolling forecasts and variance investigation are worked through against South African cost pressures, with fuel, electricity and wage inflation forming the backdrop to every exercise and to the closing budget challenge session.

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What you will be able to do

  • Construct an operating budget from volume drivers rather than last year plus a percentage.
  • Apply zero based, incremental and activity based budgeting to the situations each one actually suits.
  • Separate fixed, variable and semi variable costs and calculate the break even point of a business unit.
  • Build a rolling forecast that updates monthly without rebuilding the entire model.
  • Investigate price, volume and efficiency variances and write a variance commentary a manager can act on.
  • Defend a departmental budget submission under challenge from finance and executive reviewers.

Course outline

  1. 01Purpose and politics of the budget cycle
  2. 02Cost behaviour, drivers and break even analysis
  3. 03Zero based and activity based budgeting in practice
  4. 04Building the operating and capital budget
  5. 05Rolling forecasts and scenario planning
  6. 06Variance analysis and management commentary
  7. 07Cost reduction without damaging capability
  8. 08Budget presentation and challenge session

Who should attend

Budget holders, cost accountants, management accountants, finance business partners and departmental managers who own a cost centre. It suits operations, procurement and marketing managers who must justify spend to a finance team.

Dates, venues and fees

DatesVenueDaysFeeCalendarRegister
28 Sep to 2 Oct 2026Pretoria5R18,000Closed
5 to 9 Oct 2026Nairobi5US$1,800Register
12 to 16 Oct 2026Dar es Salaam5US$1,800Register
19 to 23 Oct 2026Lusaka5US$1,800Register
26 to 30 Oct 2026Harare5US$1,800Register
2 to 6 Nov 2026Accra5US$1,800Register
9 to 13 Nov 2026Lagos5US$1,800Register
16 to 20 Nov 2026Dubai5US$1,800Register
23 to 27 Nov 2026Johannesburg5R18,000Register
30 Nov to 4 Dec 2026Cape Town5R18,000Register
7 to 11 Dec 2026Durban5R18,000Register

Fees are per delegate. South African venues are priced in rand; other locations and online in US dollars. Fees exclude 15% VAT where applicable. Group bookings of three or more delegates from the same organisation qualify for a reduced rate; contact us for a quotation.

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