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Description

Rolling Forecast: Building, Updating and Steering Rolling Projections

Replace the frozen annual budget with a continuously refreshed forecast that genuinely supports management decisions

  • 1 day — 7 h
  • In-person or virtual
  • Intermediate
  • Up to 6 participants

The annual budget is already out of date by the first quarter, and the year-end landing estimate is put together at the last minute from scattered spreadsheets. Managers spend weeks producing a figure they know to be wrong, while the executive committee steers the business with a structural lag behind operational reality.

This 7-hour programme focuses on rolling forecasting rather than on conventional budget monitoring. It covers the choice of horizon and level of granularity, the selection of the drivers that genuinely carry the forecast, the organisation of a short update cycle and the measurement of predictive quality achieved cycle after cycle.

Learning objectives

  • Define the horizon, granularity and frequency suited to the business
  • Select the drivers that carry the bulk of the forecast
  • Build a rolling forecast model fed by operational teams
  • Organise a short update cycle with a workable calendar
  • Measure predictive quality and refine the model from one cycle to the next
  • Align the rolling forecast with the budget and financial communication

What makes this programme different

The forecasting model is built live in a spreadsheet using real business drivers
The update cycle is timed step by step so it can be completed within one week
Predictive quality is measured on past cycles to expose recurring bias

Programme

1Framing the rolling forecast process

Horizon, granularity, frequency and scope

  • What rolling forecasting changes compared with the annual budget
  • Choosing the rolling horizon and the level of analysis
  • Update frequency and acceptable workload for contributors
  • Scope covered and items deliberately left outside the model
  • Success factors and the usual sources of resistance

2Building the forecasting model

Drivers, assumptions and scenarios

  • Identifying the activity and cost drivers that genuinely explain performance
  • Linking actual data with forward-looking assumptions
  • Modelling revenue and variable costs
  • Handling commitments, projects and non-recurring items
  • Building scenarios and ranges rather than a single point estimate

3Running the cycle and measuring its value

Facilitation, governance and predictive quality

  • Cycle calendar and split of roles between control and operations
  • Facilitating forecast reviews and recording the decisions made
  • Measuring the gap between forecast and actual by horizon
  • Detecting systematic bias among contributors
  • The place of the annual budget and its use with executive management

Who is it for

Management controllers and budget control managers, as well as chief financial officers, FP&A leads and operational managers contributing to forecasts

Prerequisites

Practising management control and having taken part in an annual budget process

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.