Skip to content

Standard Costing and Variance Analysis for Production Environments

Manufacturers and processors across the continent rely on standard costs to price products and control the shop floor, yet many teams set standards poorly and never investigate the variances that result. This course equips cost accountants and production finance staff to set credible standards, calculate material, labour and overhead variances, and turn variance reports into operational action that protects margins.

Ready to book? Secure your place on this programme.

Register for this course

What you will be able to do

  • Set realistic material, labour and overhead standards for products and processes.
  • Calculate price, usage, rate and efficiency variances accurately.
  • Interpret variances to identify their operational root causes.
  • Distinguish controllable variances from those outside management influence.
  • Prepare variance reports that drive corrective action on the shop floor.
  • Review and update standards as input prices and processes change.

Course outline

  1. 01Purpose and Limits of Standard Costing
  2. 02Setting Material, Labour and Overhead Standards
  3. 03Material Price and Usage Variances
  4. 04Labour Rate and Efficiency Variances
  5. 05Overhead Spending and Volume Variances
  6. 06Linking Variances to Operational Causes
  7. 07Variance Reporting for Management Action
  8. 08Reviewing and Revising Standards

Who should attend

Cost accountants, management accountants, production finance staff and operations managers in manufacturing, processing and assembly environments.

Dates, venues and fees

DatesVenueDaysFeeCalendarRegister
28 to 30 Sep 2026Accra3US$1,500Closed
29 Sep to 1 Oct 2026Lagos3US$1,500Register
30 Sep to 2 Oct 2026Cairo3US$1,500Register
5 to 7 Oct 2026Mauritius3US$1,500Register
6 to 8 Oct 2026Dubai3US$1,500Register
7 to 9 Oct 2026Online3US$900Register
3 to 5 Nov 2026Johannesburg3R13,000Register
4 to 6 Nov 2026Cape Town3R13,000Register
9 to 11 Nov 2026Durban3R13,000Register
10 to 12 Nov 2026Pretoria3R13,000Register
11 to 13 Nov 2026Windhoek3US$1,500Register
16 to 18 Nov 2026Gaborone3US$1,500Register
17 to 19 Nov 2026Maseru3US$1,500Register
18 to 20 Nov 2026Mbabane3US$1,500Register
23 to 25 Nov 2026Lusaka3US$1,500Register
24 to 26 Nov 2026Harare3US$1,500Register
25 to 27 Nov 2026Lilongwe3US$1,500Register
30 Nov to 2 Dec 2026Blantyre3US$1,500Register
1 to 3 Dec 2026Mozambique3US$1,500Register
2 to 4 Dec 2026Nairobi3US$1,500Register
7 to 9 Dec 2026Dar es Salaam3US$1,500Register
8 to 10 Dec 2026Kigali3US$1,500Register
9 to 11 Dec 2026Kampala3US$1,500Register

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.

Related courses in Finance and Budgeting

Finance and Budgeting

Budgeting, Forecasting and Cost Control

Build budgets that survive contact with reality. Zero based principles, rolling forecasts and variance investigation are worked through...

Next session
5 to 9 Oct 2026
Venue
Nairobi
5 day programme
FromR18,000
Finance and Budgeting

Financial Statement Analysis and Reporting

Read a set of annual financial statements the way an analyst does. Delegates dissect real style statements prepared under IFRS...

Next session
5 to 9 Oct 2026
Venue
Pretoria
5 day programme
FromR18,000
Finance and Budgeting

Cash Flow and Working Capital Management

Profitable businesses still fail when cash runs out. Forecasting cash with confidence...

Next session
29 Sep to 1 Oct 2026
Venue
Durban
3 day programme
FromR13,000
See all Finance and Budgeting courses