CLAUDE CASE STUDY
Transforming finance training
Exec Ed
Budget Construction Exercise
Scenario Brief — Read before completing the budget
▼
The Situation
You are taking over a University division ("Exec Ed") that runs CPD events for accountants and lawyers. You've been asked to build a comprehensive budget for the year ahead (August–July). Your predecessor has left detailed handover notes.
Income — Corporate Clients
Course values by month the course runs:
| Oct | Nov | Dec | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10,000 | 30,000 | 50,000 | 5,000 | 3,000 | 15,000 | 20,000 | 8,000 |
- Contract signed 3 months before the course
- Invoiced 1 month after the course
- Paid 1 month after invoice
Income — Accounting Conference (June)
Bookings received in advance:
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20,000 | 10,000 | 5,000 | 5,000 | 3,000 |
- Paid in full on day of booking — non-refundable
Income — Lawyers Conference (July)
- 1,000 participants × £75 each
- Invoiced after conference, normally paid 3 months later (October)
- 10% take an extra month to pay (November)
Income — Bespoke Conference (Other Projects)
- Potential £150,000 project in May — still being negotiated
- £120,000 outsourced costs if won
- ⚠️ Still being negotiated — should this be included?
Costs — Own Labour
- Core team: £10,000/month (Aug–Dec)
- 5% pay rise from January
- Additional £2,000/month from May onwards
Costs — Agency Staff
- £6,000 retainer paid in August
- Pay for staff 1 month in advance of when they work
Agency staff working months:
| Nov | Dec | Mar | Apr | Jun | Jul |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8,000 | 10,000 | 3,000 | 1,000 | 4,000 | 12,000 |
Costs — Overtime
- £4,500 overtime worked in both June and July
- Paid the month after work is done
Costs — Venue
- Accounting conf: £3,000 internal fee — cash paid November
- Lawyers conf: £10,000 external venue
- 50% deposit January, 30% in March, balance in May
Costs — IT Equipment
- Software licences: £12,000 annual — paid 1st August
- New servers: £10,000 — purchased August
- Peripherals: £100/month
| AUG | SEP | OCT | NOV | DEC | JAN | FEB | MAR | APR | MAY | JUN | JUL | TOTAL |
|---|
🤔 Ask for a Hint
Get guidance without being given the answer
BESPOKE
EXPERT
VIRTUAL
We’ve trained delegates from the following companies
