Financial Planning & Analysis teams (FP&A) rely on Excel more than any other tool. Even with the rise of BI platforms and cloud planning systems, Excel continues to sit at the center of budgeting, forecasting, variance analysis, and financial storytelling.
This e-book teaches you how to use Excel at a professional Financial Planning & Analysis teams standard — with structured models, scalable formulas, multi-sheet data flows, and best-practice templates used in real finance teams.
You’ll move beyond ad-hoc spreadsheets and learn how to build dependable, automated, analyst-grade financial models.
📚 Table of Contents
1. The Role of Excel in FP&A
- Why Excel remains the backbone of FP&A workflows
- Strengths and limitations of Excel for budgeting, forecasting, and reporting
- When Excel works well — and when it breaks at scale
- Modern FP&A tech stack and Excel’s position within it
- The finance planning cycle and how Excel supports each stage
- Template referenced: Chapter 1 focuses on concept foundation only, no templates required
2. Essential Excel Skills for FP&A Analysts
- Core Excel functions every FP&A analyst must master
- Structuring models using tables, named ranges, and clean data design
- Building lookup-driven financial models (VLOOKUP, XLOOKUP, INDEX/MATCH)
- The importance of proper formatting, validation, and controls for financial accuracy
- Creating scalable worksheets for departments, periods, and scenarios
- Hands-on examples using structured formulas and dynamic layouts
3. Practical FP&A Reporting & Analysis in Excel
- Turning raw data into finance-ready datasets
- Building departmental P&Ls and cost center analyses
- Forecasting structures: driver-based models, rolling forecasts, and scenarios
- Variance analysis methodology and dashboard layout principles
- Using Excel to communicate insights through charts and financial storytelling
- Templates used for reporting foundations (bridge charts, KPI tables, department reporting structure)
4. SUMIFS and COUNTIFS in Excel — Multi-Criteria Analysis for FP&A
- Why multi-criteria formulas are essential in FP&A
- Understanding SUMIFS for multi-dimensional financial aggregation
- Using COUNTIFS for vendor reporting, transaction counting, and workflow control
- Best practices for eliminating hardcoding and improving model scalability
- Multi-criteria revenue models, cost center summaries, and rolling 12-month analysis
- Common SUMIFS/COUNTIFS errors and how to avoid them
- Real FP&A exercises with working examples
Bonus Resources
Free Excel templates:
Free Excel Practice Problems for Accounting and Finance
Free Course on Automating FP&A in Excel with PivotXL
