Tactical Budgeting: Moving Beyond Traditional Budgets to Manage Performance
Monday, Oct. 5, 2026
1-3 p.m. Central
2 CPE (2 technical)
Course code: 26WA-5552
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Traditional budgets often consume significant time while delivering limited operational value. This session reframes budgeting as a tactical management tool rather than a once-a-year accounting exercise. Participants will explore how to redesign the budget process to improve communication, accountability, and decision-making across the organization. The session emphasizes output-based metrics, flexible budgeting approaches, benchmarking, and educating non-financial managers so budgets become a tool for managing performance, not just controlling spending.
Major subjects
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The real purpose of budgeting in modern organizations.
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Common budgeting problems and process breakdowns.
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Linking budgets to income statements, balance sheets, and cash flows.
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Output metrics and what really "causes work".
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Top-down, bottom-up, and hybrid budgeting approaches.
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Flexible budgeting using volume-based and unit metrics.
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Benchmarking to reduce politics and improve insight.
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Using budgets to build value, not just limit spending.
Learning objectives
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Identify the limitations of traditional, static budgeting models and explain why they often fail to support effective management and decision-making.
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Apply flexible and output-based budgeting techniques to improve accountability and performance across departments.
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Evaluate how benchmarking and comparative metrics can be used to strengthen budget credibility and drive operational improvement.
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Describe practical methods for communicating budget expectations and results to non-financial managers to improve engagement and execution.
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Develop a framework for redesigning the budget process so it functions as an ongoing performance management tool rather than a once-a-year exercise.
Who should take this program?
- Finance and accounting professionals who are responsible for translating financial strategy into execution.
Pricing
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$89.00
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 Standard Nonmember Fee |
$89.00
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