Forecasting

Forecasting is one of FP&A’s most powerful tools—when done well, it drives timely decisions, highlights business risks early, and creates a forward-looking culture. This session equips finance professionals with a practical, structured approach to forecasting that’s responsive, collaborative, and strategically aligned.

Participants will explore rolling forecasts, scenario techniques, and communication strategies that shift forecasting from a numbers exercise to a value-adding business process. You’ll learn how to streamline updates, focus attention on what matters, and confidently lead conversations about performance, uncertainty, and next steps.

You’re welcome to join just this workshop, but for a deeper dive, we recommend registering for the full program.

Testimonials

Setting up a new FP&A team in a fast-paced business, the FP&A bootcamp was a great way to get everyone on the same page as quickly as possible. We loved Catherine's teaching style and the interactive format of the course. The team took examples from the very first workshop and immediately put them into practice. It sparked such debate in the team that we almost have too many new ideas! A nice problem to have... Thanks Catherine and GrowCFO!

This is both a good refresher for seasoned professionals and a good introduction for individuals with less experience. Time went by very fast as it was an enjoyable course.

The course takes you through a practical approach to FP&A and you walk away with ideas and strategies you can begin to utilize in your business right away.

If you are new to FP&A or have been doing it for years, this is a great course to ensure you are on the correct path. The time commitment isn’t so much that you take too much time away from work, but enough that you feel you are getting plenty of resources to take back to your job.

The courses were very comprehensive and out team learned a lot from them. The breakout groups were both fun and engaging, and the trainers were excellent, bringing impressive first-hand experience in solving these real-world challenges.

This course was fantastic! It was the perfect refresher I needed to start a new job in FP&A. I thoroughly enjoyed the Zoom class sessions along with the exercises that we did in class.

I recommend this to everyone who is interested in understanding FP&A. I’m transitioning to an FP&A role and this course helped me get a jumpstart to prepare myself with the skills required to succeed.

Overview

What we Cover:

When and how to use forecasting vs. planning or budgeting
Setting up rolling forecasts that extend visibility beyond year-end
Forecasting techniques that support agile decision-making
Preparing finance teams to lead effective performance conversations
Tools to simplify data inputs and reduce time spent on manual updates
Applying scenario thinking to model uncertainty and trigger action

The Challenges:

Forecasts that lag behind real-world changes
Inconsistent inputs or disconnected assumptions
Difficulty aligning short-term updates with long-term goals
Business partners focused on precision instead of direction
Limited capacity to adjust quickly when conditions shift

The Barriers:

Lack of structure around forecast ownership and accountability
Overcomplicated models that make iteration difficult
Poor visibility into risks and sensitivities
Fragmented data sources and reliance on spreadsheets
Unclear linkage between forecast outputs and business impact

Learning Objectives:

By completing this course, participants will:

Build rolling and event-driven forecasts tailored to business needs
Lead forecasting cycles that improve speed, focus, and impact
Use variance analysis to surface root causes and inform decisions
Communicate uncertainty with confidence through scenarios and ranges
Balance expert judgement with simple, scalable modelling techniques

Business Benefits:

Faster reaction to performance trends and external risks
Forecasts that support—not slow—commercial agility
Better conversations between finance and the wider business
Greater trust in finance to steer strategic course corrections
Improved integration between financial forecasting and operational planning

Facilitator

Catherine Marks

Catherine led the O2 FP&A team through its merger with Virgin Media.

Prerequisites: Must have a basic understanding of FP&A.

Advanced Preparation: No advanced preparation is required

Program Level: Basic

Delivery Method: Group Live

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