Prepare better variance analysis and facilitate better results
One of the most common criticisms of non-finance managers, executives, and directors is their difficulty in understanding financial performance from the analyses provided. Variance analyses are often overwhelming and confusing, lacking precision, and raising more questions than they answer with superficial explanations. This course will guide you through a deeper understanding of how to conduct more effective variance analysis. In doing so, you will significantly enhance the value of your contributions to management decision-making.
Adopting an audience-centric perspective, you will learn best practices through real-world examples and case studies. These will demonstrate how to improve traditional variance analysis by incorporating both quantitative data and insightful, descriptive explanations. You will also learn to effectively communicate variance analysis through the use of charts, graphs, and images. Finally, you will explore different frameworks that facilitate productive conversations about organizational performance.
This impactful course is beneficial for anyone involved in variance analysis, whether you are preparing the analysis, reviewing it as a leader, or presenting it to your audience. Honing this skill will elevate your executive presence and increase your influence and persuasiveness as a financial professional.
CPA, CA Leadership
Blair is a seven-time CFO, a director, and an educator at Executive Finance Partners - a professional development and executive coaching firm for financial professionals and executives. He also serves as a corporate director and audit committee chair of publicly listed companies: Terravest Industries and Clarke Inc. He is also the Board Treasurer of the Devour Food & Film Festival and serves on various committees of CPA Nova Scotia. Blair is the author of The Illiterate Executive: An Executive’s Handbook for Mastering Financial Acumen.
Provincial regulators of CPAs in Canada do not require that independent providers of CPD be approved to offer courses. Instead, individual CPAs are responsible for assessing whether a CPD activity meets their requirements, and may take activities from any source provided those requirements are met.
Every course offered on LearnFormula is delivered by a qualified subject matter expert or learning organization, and advances learning objectives that are relevant to the responsibilities or professional competencies of Canadian CPAs. All activities on LearnFormula are quantifiable in terms of hours, and are also verifiable, in that users receive documented evidence of their attendance via a certificate of completion after finishing a course (and this certificate is stored by LearnFormula indefinitely). Nearly 100,000 Canadian CPAs successfully satisfy their CPD requirements via LearnFormula on an annual basis.
