Finance: analysing and interpreting reports from finance

Overview

This workshop provides the fundamental skills and knowledge required to support ‘The Financial Management Framework for the General Government Sector’, outlined in ‘NSW Treasury Policy and Guidelines Paper’ TPP 00–4.

Course Content

This workshop is targeted at members of a public sector agency who want to learn the fundamental elements of financial analysis and interpretation and managers (from line managers to senior executives) with financial management responsibilities and responsibilities for analysing financial information. The workshop helps participants analyse and interpret accrual-based financial reports and budgets and the key financial performance measures derived from them. It examines analysis techniques including trend analysis, common-size analysis, ratio analysis and Economic Value Added (EVA).

Course Outcomes

By the end of this course attendees should be able to:

• specify useful financial and operational performance information
• identify the elements of financial reports prepared on an accrual basis and interpret a financial report and assess financial viability
• apply financial ratio analysis
• apply tools to analyse performance
• review performance against plans and targets, and identify options for financial and operational improvement.

Benefits to your organisation

• access to improved analysis of performance
• better links between financial analysis and the non-financial performance drivers
• consistent application of the process of performance analysis

Benefits to you

• skills to determine how an organisation is performing financially and operationally
• development of strategies for improved financial and operational performance
• understanding of the use of financial performance measures or ratios