# Data Analytic Tools for Financial Management Course Canonical URL: ## Overview This seminar is a condensed, quick paced overview on the principles, tools, techniques, and applications of data analytics within a contemporary financial management environment. Large amounts of electronic data present an enormous challenge and opportunity to identify trends, correlations, compliance, cost/expense activity, risks, possible fraud, errors, and otherwise hidden actions, and effects in financial and operational performance. This seminar will demonstrate the application of software and a case study to demonstrate the power of available tools to extract, sort and identify specific information from databases and the cloud. This seminar will also explore approaches to using data to identify risks and outliers, monitor activity, display, and chart results for reporting. ## What you'll learn - Explain the importance of data analytics in financial management, performance assessment, and accountability. - Identify patterns and outliers quickly to make decisions on what to analyze. - Describe the difference between structured and unstructured data. - Use the Data Analysis Maturity Model and identify your organization’s maturity. - Practice on multiple case studies, analyzing with financial assessment and specific data analysis tools. - List common data analysis tools that can be used in financial, activity, and performance assessment. - Explain various trends in data analysis, data architecture, and data governance. ## Curriculum #### Module 1: Introduction to Data Analytics in Financial Management - Understand the role of analytics in performance, oversight, and accountability - Differentiate between structured and unstructured data - Assess your agency’s maturity using the Data Analysis Maturity Model - Review common tools used in audit and financial data analytics #### Module 2: Exercise – Initial Discovery - Explore a new dataset to assess structure and context - Identify missing values, outliers, and data quality concerns - Use Excel and InfoZoom to perform discovery #### Module 3: Duplicate Detection - Detect potential fraud or inefficiencies through duplicate transactions - Analyze single and multiple attributes (e.g., transaction ID, amount) - Identify duplicated addresses, phone numbers, or vendor entries - Apply normalization strategies to improve matching #### Module 4: Stratification - Group data into bands or categories for risk or anomaly detection - Identify unusually high or low transactions by strata - Use visual analysis tools to surface outliers #### Module 5: Improper Payments Analysis - Assess whether payments were appropriately made or processed - Spot possible duplicates, ineligible recipients, or timing issues - Apply criteria to isolate suspect transactions #### Module 6: Aging Analysis - Analyze outstanding receivables by age category - Determine risks of uncollectible or aging debt - Prioritize collection or follow-up actions using visual dashboards ## Schedule - Jul 27, 2026 9:00am–5:00pm — Live Online - Sep 7, 2026 9:00am–5:00pm — Live Online - Oct 29, 2026 9:00am–5:00pm — Live Online ## Instructors ### Alan B. Robinson — Instructor Mr. Robinson is a seasoned legal and federal employment expert with over two decades of experience. He recently retired from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, where he spent 11 years as Deputy Director/Director for the Office of Outreach, Diversity, and Equal Opportunity (ODEO) and 8 years as Chief of Employee and Labor Relations. In these roles, he provided extensive guidance on federal employment matters, showcasing his deep expertise in labor relations and diversity initiatives. A graduate of the University of Virginia with a B.A. in Government, Mr. Robinson earned his Juris Doctorate from the University of Maryland School of Law. He is licensed to practice law in Maryland and the District of Columbia. Before his federal service, he built a robust legal career, starting as a law clerk for the Baltimore City Orphan’s Court, followed by 10 years as a civil defense litigator with a D.C. law firm, and later operating his own solo practice for 5 years. His private practice focused on representing federal agencies, employees, municipalities, and private entities in employment-related cases before the EEOC, Merit Systems Protection Board, and various courts. Currently, Mr. Robinson shares his wealth of knowledge as an adjunct instructor with the Graduate School USA and serves as a registered arbitrator for the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA). His extensive background in law, federal employment, and diversity makes him a valuable resource in his field. ### Alan McCain — Curriculum Program Manager Alan McCain is a retired combat veteran who served as both an Air Force enlisted member and a Navy officer. He brings over 30 years of experience spanning federal and commercial budgeting, auditing, programming, operations, global logistics support, supply chain and inventory management, as well as major IT acquisition. He possesses extensive, hands-on budget and audit experience across Federal, State, and Local government operations, including work within the Executive Office of the President and the Departments of State, Defense, Homeland Security, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, and Education, as well as the Office of the Mayor of Washington, D.C., among others. Alan’s consulting background includes strategic planning and business development with the District of Columbia government, multiple federal agencies, Lockheed Martin, KPMG, and PricewaterhouseCoopers. He is a Certified Government/Defense Financial Manager (CGFM/DFM), holds a Teaching Certification from Harvard University’s Bok Center for Teaching and Learning, and earned an Executive MBA in International Business from The George Washington University. ## Pricing **Tuition:** $579