Finance for non-finance managers

Read financial reports, manage budgets and make decisions that improve results.

Managers make financial decisions every day, from hiring and purchasing to pricing and project spending, often without training in how the numbers work. This programme explains finance in plain language using examples from your sector. Participants learn to read the three main financial statements, understand costs and margins, build and track budgets, and judge whether a spending or investment proposal makes sense. It is practical skills training, not an accounting qualification.

Who it is for: Managers, team leaders, engineers, project managers and specialists who manage budgets but have no finance background.

What it covers: Reading the P&L, balance sheet and cash flow; Costs, margins and break-even; Budgeting, forecasting and variance; Making investment and spending decisions.

Reading financial reports: The profit and loss statement, The balance sheet, Cash flow and why profit is not cash, Key ratios managers should know.

Costs and profitability: Fixed and variable costs, Margins, pricing and break-even, Cost drivers in your department, Simple ways to improve margin.

Budgets and forecasts: Building a realistic budget, Forecasting during the year, Variance analysis and explanations, Presenting budgets to senior management.

Financial decisions: Comparing options with simple numbers, Payback, ROI and NPV in plain terms, Working capital and payment terms, Asking finance the right questions.

Outcomes: Managers read financial reports and ask the right questions; Budgets that are realistic and easier to defend; Better decisions on costs, pricing and spending.

Do participants need any finance knowledge? No. We start from the basics and use plain language and examples from your own sector.

Can you use our own figures? Yes. With your finance team’s approval we build exercises from simplified or anonymised versions of your reports.

Is this accounting training? No. It helps managers understand and use financial information. It is not an accounting qualification such as ACCA or CMA.

How long is it? Usually two days. A one-day version covers reading reports and budgeting only.

Contact OPDEV UAE · ask@opdev.ae · United Arab Emirates (WhatsApp +44 7440 585456)