Description:
Enhance your skills for improving financial and performance decision making. Learn more detailed methods of collecting and analyzing information in decision support work. Ensure that information used as evidence is strong, defensible, and of high quality.
Gain insight on how to think about your work, and use a conceptual overview to guide you in making decisions about conducting that work. Receive specific suggestions and examples of how to utilize analytical techniques more effectively.
This course contains practical case exercises that can be completed using Microsoft Excel. If available, please bring a laptop containing Excel software to class with you. If you do not have access to a laptop, or you do not have a basic knowledge of Excel, the exercises can be completed using a hand calculator.
This course is part of the Master Certificate in Federal Financial Management.
This course is part of the Certificate of Accomplishment in Program and Management Analysis.
Who Should Attend?
Financial, budget, program analyst and management analyst professionals in intermediate to senior level positions, especially supervisors or staff responsible for developing and executing budgets, and/or evaluating and justifying new and existing programs. Participants should be familiar with decision support principles as taught in Decision Support Analytics (FINC8120A).
Tuition:
$1,199.00
Credits:
24 CPE's
Class Type:
This course is currently being offered in the following training modalities:
- Online
- Virtual Instructor-Led
- Class Length: This class is listed as a 3 day course.
- Virtual Instructor-Led
- On-site
Learning Outcomes:
- Explain the various purposes of analyses in decision support work
- Describe specific analytic methodologies in the context of the five-step analytical process
- Select appropriate types of methodology, given specific problems and issues drawn from current situations in the federal program, budget, and financial management world
- Apply various types of analytical methods to specific decision support issues
- Identify key pitfalls and limitations for the selected methods, and understand how to avoid them or minimize their effects
- Recommend alternatives and interventions, based on analysis, to better utilize resources and improve mission effectiveness
Day one of three
- Planning: Conducting Cost-Benefit and Cost-Effectiveness Analysis
- Understand the purposes of cost-benefit and cost-effectiveness analysis in the planning process and how the methods differ.
- Explain the types of questions the methods can answer, based on specific requirements in federal laws and regulations.
- Apply the methods to different types of researchable questions.
- Identify pitfalls to avoid when using the methods.
Day two of three
- Program and Budget Execution: Conducting Variance and Trend Analysis (continued from previous day)
- Understand the purposes of variance and trend analyses and how they differ.
- Explain the types of questions the methods can answer.
- Apply the methods to different types of questions.
- Create and interpret charts using the methods.
- Identify pitfalls to avoid when using the methods.
Day three of three
- Assessing Results: Conducting Content and Pareto Analysis
- Understand the use and application of content analysis and Pareto analysis
- Apply selected analytical methods to quantitative and qualitative information
- Identify important ways to assure consistency and accuracy in conducting analyses of written and oral information
- Understand the major advantages of adopting a structured and systematic approach to analysis of qualitative information
- Closing Exercise and Wrap-Up
