The Controllership Series: Strategic and Annual Planning

This course corresponds to our Controllership series. Within this course we will specifically address the Controllers role and pro-active potentials in organization Strategic and Annual Planning. This series of courses dedicated to exploring the traditional controller role and stepping out of the box to identify areas where the controller can continue to add strategic value to their organizations.

Controllers are essential to the day-to-day accounting for organizations. Yet, the role is not often readily understood. In today’s world of acronyms such as CFO, CEO, COO, CAO etc., the controller function may get lost in the shuffle. However, they are a critical group of professionals that will ensure the adequacy and transparency of accounting and financial reporting information.

When it comes to the task of strategic planning, many feel this role is primarily the responsibility of the executive team and board. However, within this course we will delve into the various streps of strategic plan and explore where the controller can add strategic value through providing input and insight.

Strategic planning is a process used to identify goals, the strategies necessary to accomplish those goals and the internal performance management system that will be used to monitor and evaluate progress. A strategic plan is the company’s formal plan for achieving its objectives with policies, strategies and detailed actions. Strategic planning begins with the present and will extend as far into the future as is useful for planning purposes.

Other courses in this series will include:
• The controller’s evolving role
• The controller’s role in cash and investments
• The controller’s role in inventory part 1 – inventory basics and the controller’s role
• The controller’s role in inventory part 2 – inventory valuation, physical inventory methods and inventory fraud
• The controller’s role in the sales process
• Understanding overhead, distribution and direct and indirect expenses
• The controller’s role in cash and investment
• The controller’s role in operational accounting
• The close the books process
• The controller’s role in performance measurement, KPI’s and trends

Field of Study: Accounting