Master Budget Performance Metrics
Real skills for managing finances better. Our program helps you understand where money actually goes and how to track it properly. Starting September 2025, we'll walk through practical methods that work for Australian households and small operations.
Register Your InterestHow the Learning Path Works
We break down budget metrics into manageable chunks. Each module builds on what came before, so you're not drowning in spreadsheet formulas from day one.
Track What You Spend
Before you can improve anything, you need baseline data. We teach simple tracking methods that don't require fancy software—just honest documentation of where money flows.
Identify Spending Patterns
Once you've got three months of data, patterns emerge. Some are obvious. Others surprise people. We show you how to spot trends that actually matter versus noise in the numbers.
Set Realistic Metrics
Generic budget advice rarely fits real situations. You'll learn to establish benchmarks that reflect your actual circumstances—not what some financial guru says everyone should do.
Monitor and Adjust
Budgets aren't static documents. Life changes, prices shift, priorities evolve. We cover practical adjustment strategies that keep your metrics relevant month after month.
Build Long-Term Habits
The goal isn't just understanding metrics for twelve weeks. It's developing habits that stick. We focus on sustainable practices rather than intensive efforts that burn out quickly.
Apply to Real Scenarios
Theory means nothing without application. Final modules involve working through actual budget challenges—based on real situations people face in the ACT region and beyond.
What This Program Covers
Variance Analysis Fundamentals
Learn to spot when actual spending deviates from plans—and more importantly, understand what those deviations mean. Not every variance signals a problem.
Performance Ratio Calculations
Basic ratios that reveal financial health. We skip complex corporate metrics and focus on practical measures that help household or small business contexts.
Goal Setting Frameworks
How to set financial targets that motivate rather than discourage. The framework adapts whether you're managing personal finances or a community organization's budget.
Trend Identification Methods
Techniques for distinguishing temporary fluctuations from genuine trends. Helps prevent overreacting to single-month anomalies while catching real problems early.
Data Collection Best Practices
Good analysis requires good data. We cover collection methods that balance thoroughness with practicality—because nobody has time for daily three-hour reconciliation sessions.
Reporting Structures That Work
How to present budget information so it's actually useful. Different audiences need different formats—what works for personal review doesn't work for stakeholder meetings.
Meet Your Instructors
Both instructors bring practical experience from different sectors. They've made budget mistakes themselves and learned from them—which makes for better teaching than pure theory ever could.
Kieran Donnelly
Budget Systems Specialist
Kieran spent seven years managing operational budgets for regional councils across NSW before moving into education. He knows the gap between textbook theory and messy reality. His modules focus on practical troubleshooting and adapting formal methods to real constraints.
Lachlan Forsyth
Financial Planning Educator
After working with dozens of small businesses on cash flow management, Lachlan developed training materials that actually make sense to non-accountants. He handles the metrics and analysis portions of the program, with emphasis on interpretation over calculation.
Program Investment
Three options depending on your needs and timeline. All include the core curriculum—differences are in delivery format and support level.
Self-Paced Access
12-month access period
- All video modules and worksheets
- Downloadable templates and tools
- Community forum access
- Monthly group Q&A sessions
- Complete at your own speed
Guided Cohort
14-week structured program
- Everything in Self-Paced
- Weekly live sessions with instructors
- Cohort accountability groups
- Personalized feedback on assignments
- Direct instructor email access
- Starts September 2025
Private Instruction
8 one-on-one sessions
- Fully customized curriculum
- Focus on your specific situation
- Flexible scheduling options
- Direct work on your actual budgets
- Available for organizations too