7 Topics
5 Days
35 Sessions
Programme Overview
Training Description
- Management accountants
- Cost accountants
- Procurement and supply-chain professionals
- Departmental budget managers
- Operations managers
- Corporate planning professionals
- Strategy and transformation professionals
- Project and programme managers
- Business unit leaders
- Senior executives responsible for cost management and resource allocation
Session Objectives
- Master the core principles and methodologies of Zero-Based Budgeting. Deconstruct departmental budgets to identify and justify spending. Conduct comprehensive cost-benefit analyses for all activities. Develop a robust framework for implementing ZBB from the ground up. Overcome common organizational resistance to ZBB adoption. Utilize decision packages to evaluate and prioritize spending.
About the Course
Unlocking Efficiency: Zero-Based Budgeting for Cost Optimization is a practical professional training course designed to equip finance, budgeting, FP&A, accounting, procurement, and management professionals with the skills required to apply zero-based budgeting (ZBB) as a strategic approach to controlling costs, eliminating inefficiencies, and optimizing resource allocation.Unlike traditional budgeting, which often builds on previous spending levels, zero-based budgeting requires expenditures to be justified based on current needs, expected value, and strategic priorities. Participants will learn how to identify cost drivers, challenge historical spending assumptions, evaluate activities and programmes, prioritize resources, eliminate waste, and develop sustainable cost-optimization strategies.
Curriculum & Topics
7 Topics | 35 Sessions
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Workshop 1.1:
Introduction to ZBB vs. traditional budgeting.
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Workshop 1.2:
Key benefits and challenges of ZBB.
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Workshop 1.3:
When and why to implement ZBB.
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Workshop 1.4:
Defining decision units and cost drivers.
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Workshop 1.5:
The role of leadership in a ZBB initiative.
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Workshop 2.1:
The steps involved in a ZBB implementation.
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Workshop 2.2:
Creating activity analysis and cost identification.
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Workshop 2.3:
Developing decision packages for all spending requests.
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Workshop 2.4:
Ranking and prioritizing decision packages.
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Workshop 2.5:
Finalizing the ZBB plan and budget allocation.
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Workshop 3.1:
Techniques for identifying primary cost drivers.
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Workshop 3.2:
How to challenge assumptions about historical spending.
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Workshop 3.3:
Using data to justify all expenditures.
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Workshop 3.4:
Building a case for new vs. existing programs.
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Workshop 3.5:
The art of justifying "why" before "how much".
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Workshop 4.1:
Communicating the ZBB vision to all stakeholders.
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Workshop 4.2:
Managing the ZBB project timeline and resources.
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Workshop 4.3:
Overcoming organizational pushback and resistance.
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Workshop 4.4:
Training teams to think with a zero-based mindset.
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Workshop 4.5:
Integrating ZBB into existing business processes.
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Workshop 5.1:
Overview of software solutions for ZBB.
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Workshop 5.2:
Leveraging data analytics to support ZBB.
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Workshop 5.3:
Using spreadsheets and templates effectively.
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Workshop 5.4:
Automation and workflow management.
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Workshop 5.5:
Best practices for reporting on ZBB data.
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Workshop 6.1:
Setting up metrics for budget monitoring.
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Workshop 6.2:
The role of variance analysis in ZBB.
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Workshop 6.3:
Regular performance reviews and feedback loops.
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Workshop 6.4:
Ensuring accountability for spending decisions.
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Workshop 6.5:
Creating a culture of continuous improvement.
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Workshop 7.1:
ZBB in different business functions (e.g., marketing, IT).
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Workshop 7.2:
Real-world examples of successful ZBB implementations.
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Workshop 7.3:
Sustaining the benefits of ZBB over time.
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Workshop 7.4:
Combining ZBB with other cost-optimization strategies.
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Workshop 7.5:
A final workshop to apply ZBB principles to a business scenario.
