What are the recommended strategies for Building Financial Models?

Building financial models in Excel can be difficult and irritating, but they are essential to the operation of the company. It takes time to set up formulae and circumstances. And just when you believe your model is foolproof, another mistake pops out from nowhere.

Even though Excel models sadly contain mistakes, it's crucial to know how to prevent them. In this post, I'd want to share some of the practical strategies for financial modelling with you in the hope that they'll enable you to develop solid financial models that provide precise financial data.

So let's get started……

Always make a plan

Many finance teams skip the planning phase before diving into the financial model. As a result, they produce too intricate models that lack essential components and neglect to take into account operational requirements.

You should consider the following before starting to design a model:

• What financial issue does the model need to address?
• Who are your end users, and how do you anticipate that they will apply the model?
• What are the main processes, inputs, and outputs of the model?
• How can you make sure that all sources are accessible during development quickly and easily in one location?

An effective and practical financial model is dependent on having a vision and keeping it in mind throughout the development process.

It's crucial for the design analyst and the client to collaborate closely throughout the project lifetime since problems and adjustments will unavoidably arise.

Make sure the financial model is organised logically.

Your financial model will probably require a number of spreadsheets, and they must be rationally arranged to prevent navigational issues for the end user.

The model's influencing aspects must be identified, and the material must be presented so that users may switch between sheets with ease. Three fundamental elements should form the basis of the model:
1. Assumptions     2. Calculations      3. Output

Your financial model will be solid and have a sound architectural foundation if you adhere to this framework. Users will be able to set their own emphasis areas in addition to the regions where the computer operates. Additionally, mistakes may be avoided if assumptions are gathered in one location since your model is less likely to be affected by outdated assumptions from previous assessments.

Don't complicate your financial model.
In the first 30 seconds, the majority of financial model users will determine if they like it or not. Your financial model is more likely to be well-received if it is simple to understand and follow.

• 10 or 15 maximum implicit assumptions should be used- Your decisions are more likely to be unrealistic the more preconceptions you make.
• Attempt to keep formulas to no more than half the size of the toolbar- Longer formulae increase the likelihood of error.
• Avoid using cell names excessively- While it would seem like a good idea to use cell names and range names to make calculations simpler, doing so might really make things worse. This may cause consumers to become confused by your formula's plethora of phantom names. Additionally, you could soon run out of appropriate names to employ and fall back on arbitrary names with no actual significance.
• Apply the exact same formula to all rows- As a result, the model is simpler to modify, more error-free, and simpler to test and evaluate.
• Maintain a standard format- From sheet to sheet, all of your column titles should be the same. You should use consistent fonts, borders, labels, and overall design.-Clear descriptions of rows and columns are necessary to prevent any misunderstandings.
• Adding an executive summary is a must- You may describe the underlying assumptions and motivations of your model in an executive summary. References to balance sheets, profit and loss, and a visual depiction of the cash flow should all be included. To make the model simpler to use, you should also think about including a table of contents and as many instructions and explanations as you find necessary.

Avoid substituting values for formulae

Hard coding should always be avoided. Although it could initially save you time, it eventually demonstrates a lack of discipline and jeopardises the model's dependability and transparency. Using hard values rather than formulae has a number of drawbacks:

• Readers find the model to be overly convoluted and challenging.
• The lack of apparent assumptions may cause confusion among end users.
• Less clarity is there in the logic's progression.
• Given that they are unsure of the data's source, end consumers have less faith in its accuracy.

If you must hard code any values, add a note next to the cell explaining why and indicating where the value came from. When you are building the model, it is simple to recall the value, but when you revisit it later, you will probably have forgotten something.

Having strict values has its place. For instance, when you must deal with hypotheses and inputs that influence important model components like revenues and expenses. The reader's trust in the accuracy of the data is increased by clearly and consistently presenting such cells as inputs.

The main objective of developing a financial model is to make sure you provide a resource that people can readily understand and utilise. With so many components and aspects to take into account, creating these models in Excel is challenging. Even though mistakes are

almost inescapable, by heeding the aforementioned best practice advice, you'll be on a lot clearer route to developing a meaningful and realistic financial model.

By-Vandana Gaur