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Description

Finance for Non-Financial Managers Level 1: Reading the Accounts, Building and Tracking Your Budget

Understand how your organisation's finances work so you can steer your department's budget with confidence

  • 2 days — 14 h
  • In-person or virtual
  • Foundation
  • Up to 6 participants

Every month the department head receives a budget report, glances at it and moves on. Variances are flagged after the fact, and commitments that were forgotten resurface at year end. Spending requests travel through approval routes whose financial logic remains unclear.

These two days are designed for managers who are accountable for a budget envelope. Participants first acquire the underlying accounting mechanisms, then learn how to build and monitor the budget for their own scope. They also learn to spot a variance in good time and to prepare a spending or investment request that will stand up to scrutiny.

Learning objectives

  • Identify the accounting mechanisms that produce financial statements
  • Position your department's activity within the company's overall results
  • Build the budget for your scope based on explicit assumptions
  • Monitor budget consumption and spot a variance before period close
  • Prepare a spending or investment request that will stand up to scrutiny

What makes this programme different

Participants work on a complete departmental budget, from initial build to monthly tracking
A hands-on exercise shows how an untracked commitment creates an overrun at year end
Internal spending approval routes are decoded and linked back to their financial logic

Programme

1The Underlying Mechanisms

Understanding where the reported figures come from

  • How accounting entries work and the role of the chart of accounts
  • The balance sheet and income statement explained through their practical use
  • The notion of the accounting period and of provisions
  • Where your department sits in the company's accounting chain

2Departmental Costs and Contribution

Knowing what your activity costs and what it brings in

  • Direct costs, indirect costs and the allocation keys you are given
  • Distinguishing controllable costs from imposed costs
  • Your department's contribution to the company's results
  • Reading an overhead allocation with a critical eye

3Building Your Budget

Moving from rolling over last year's figures to making a case

  • Capturing requirements and stating your assumptions
  • Costing staff expenses and recurring expenditure
  • Distinguishing operating expenditure from capital expenditure
  • Preparing the budget discussion with senior management

4Monitoring and Responding

Seeing the variance coming rather than absorbing it

  • Reading the monthly budget report you receive
  • Tracking commitments alongside recorded expenditure
  • Analysing a variance and articulating an explanation
  • Requesting a decision or a budget transfer during the year

Who is it for

Department heads, team leaders and operational managers responsible for a budget envelope who have no formal background in finance.

Prerequisites

No prior knowledge required

Dates & locations

36 scheduled dates between November 2026 and December 2027. Seats are confirmed in the order enquiries are received.

November 2026

December 2026

January 2027

February 2027

March 2027

April 2027

May 2027

June 2027

September 2027

October 2027

November 2027

December 2027

None of these dates suit you? We open additional sessions on request, and any programme can be run privately for your team.

Practical details

Before the programme
Online positioning questionnaire. Your development objectives are shared with the trainer, who tailors the practical case studies to your context.
Teaching methods
Theoretical input, workshops and practical case studies. Digital course materials and method sheets provided.
Assessment
Multiple-choice tests and role-play exercises. Assessment of learning at the start and end of the programme, with immediate and 60-day follow-up evaluations.
After the programme
One year of access to the e-learning platform. Self-assessment of the skills acquired and a 30-day follow-up session with your trainer.
How to register
Registration online or on the basis of a quotation.
Lead time
11 working days after confirmation of registration.
Accessibility
Accessible to people of determination. Contact our accessibility coordinator to design a suitable solution: contact@mpf-academy.ae
Start dates
Rolling intake: in addition to the scheduled sessions, this programme can start on request.