Intro to the Federal Budget

Budget Basics Training Workshop
Best Practices for Formulating – Executing – Tracking Government Budgets
Linking Agency Budgets to Performance Measures & Accountability


This course is available for On-Site Training only. We will bring this course to your agency or company.
Contact Don Dickson, On-Site Training Manager at (301) 455-5633 or Don.Dickson@GovernmentTrainingInc.com

About this course

This course combines lectures, discussions, group exercises, and case studies to familiarize students with formulating, executing and analyzing government budgets. This will enable government agencies to meet government accountability and to improve budget performance.

Performance measurement is a key component of performance-based budgeting. Therefore, the course presents basic concepts to building and analyzing budget metrics. In addition, the course will teach students problem solving tools such as trend analysis, ratio analysis, and comparative analysis to diagnosis potential budget problems and devise recommendations to improve budget performance.

When students return to their agencies after taking this course, they will have more skills in developing their agencies’ budget, to track budget performance throughout the fiscal year, and to make recommendations to correct budget problems. They will have this ability because the course will provide exercises and case studies that will reinforce lectures and budget concepts. In addition, they will receive a budget checklist, and analytical tools.

Budget analysis is the focal point of this class. Students will use budgeting information to improve an agencies’ budget performance, to meet its accountability requirements, and to make it a more effective and efficient organization.

List of Take Aways

  • Learn the Budget Formulation Process
  • Learn how budgets relate to the Performance Accountability Report (PAR)
  • Learn Object Class codes to categorize budget expense
  • Learn how to develop performance measurements
  • Learn how to analyze budget trends
  • Learn benchmarking techniques
  • Learn tips and techniques to correct budget problems
  • Learn how to prepare Budget presentations

Syllabus

  1. Federal Budget Overview
  2. The Performance and Accountability Report (PAR)
  3. Building A Performance Plan
  4. Developing Performance Metrics
  5. Using Trend Analysis To Formulate An Agency’s Budget
  6. Analyzing Budget Performance
  7. Employing Benchmarking Techniques
  8. Solving Budget Problems
  9. Preparing a Budget Presentation

Who Should Attend

This course is intended for government and government contractors who are responsible for preparing and tracking their unit's budget. This course explains budget basics, terms, concepts, methodologies and introduces analytical techniques.
  • Administrator Officers
  • Auditors
  • Budget Analysts
  • Budget Specialists
  • Budget Technicians
  • Financial Analysts
  • Management Analysts
  • Program Analysts
  • Program Managers
  • Project Managers
  • Strategic Planning