Advanced Excel Modelling

Course Overview:

This is a two day workshop for constructing a complete financial model. Participants will gain the ability to correctly construct financial models that are accurate, operationally robust and that can add genuine value in understanding an assignment's dynamics.

This will include the utilisation of tools for auditing and testing models to ensure accuracy, gaining a clear understanding of a structured methodology that provides a framework for all analytical modelling and mastering a set of transferable techniques that can be applied to many different assignments to improve speed, efficiency and accuracy.

The workshop explores the aims and outlines governing model design and construction, how to design and build in accuracy from the outset, best practice modelling techniques, techniques for efficient construction to provide inherent reliability and robustness, understanding and avoiding common pitfalls and running sensitivities and what-if analysis to gain information about  performance.

It is a highly practical workshop and involves building a complete model. Participants start with a template and construct a model in stages. They receive a full pack of Excel software and templates for future reference as part of the course materials.

Course Content:

Day One

Module 1 - Spreadsheet Best Practice

Ø       Outline of financial modelling

Ø       Examples of Excel financial models

Ø       Useful Excel features and techniques

Ø       Systematic Excel standards

Ø       Case outline – introduction

Exercise: reworking existing financial model

Module 2 - Auditing and Testing

Ø       Examples of spreadsheet errors

Ø       Essential testing and auditing techniques

Ø       Example: testing financial analysis model with cash flows and ratios

Exercise: debugging and checking a financial model

Module 3 - Forecasting Models

Ø       Review of forecasting methods

Ø       Understanding financial ‘drivers’ for analysis, valuation and project models

Exercise: deriving forecast free cash flow and ratios

Ø       Linear methods

Ø       Smoothing and seasonality

Ø       Macro forecasting and regression

Exercise: producing a forecast with time series analysis

Day Two

Module 4 - Risk and Sensitivity

Ø       Risk and multiple answers

Ø       Scenario techniques

Ø       Advanced financial functions

Exercise: adding sensitivity to the case model

Module 5 - Risk and Simulation

Ø       Elements of a simulation model

Ø       Building blocks in Excel

Ø       Monte Carlo simulation methods

Ø       Example: using simulation in the case model to gain more understanding of the potential variance

Module 6 - Optimisation and Targeting

Ø       Overview of optimisation and targeting

Ø       Goal seek and Solver methods

Ø       Example: targeting and optimisation

Module 7 - Management Analysis

Ø       Consolidating and summarising data

Exercise: consolidating data from different sources

Ø       Excel report manager

Exercise: pivot tables

Ø       Techniques for summarising data

Exercise: producing a management report

Times

09.00-17.00 Daily

Cost

£1,450 + VAT (£1,703.75)

Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) CPD Hours

12

Training Courses in Banking and Corporate Finance

Redcliffe is a banking and corporate finance training company which specialises in the delivery of bespoke courses to the financial community. It is run by the trainers themselves, all of whom have many years of practical experience at senior levels.

Our programmes are delivered both on an open basis in the City of London and also on an in-house basis for investment banks, stockbrokers, corporate financial advisers, accountants, lawyers and corporates. Redcliffe has a very prestigious client base and during the past two years it has delivered in-house seminars to many leading financial institutions and professional advisers. During 2007 and 2008 almost 3,500 executives attended Redcliffe's open courses. In 2009 Redcliffe will also present some of its courses in Manchester.

The topics that we cover include all areas of corporate finance (including mergers and acquisitions, buy-outs, debt finance, restructuring, valuation, modelling and regulation), banking (including treasury products, risk management and trade finance), project finance (including PPP / PFI), accounts topics, tax and property (including REITS and sale and leaseback).

Details of over 130 courses which Redcliffe can present can be found under Courses and Dates on our website. Most of these are presented on a public basis and all of them may be presented in-house to the client's specification.