Learning Program
Budget Analysis
Most people working with public or organisational finances spend years making sense of numbers that were never explained to them clearly. This program covers the full cycle — from reading a budget document to spotting structural imbalances across 6 themed modules over 8 weeks.
What the pro gram covers
Nóirín Quigley spent 11 years as a local council administrator before realising she had approved budgets she did not fully understand. This program exists for people in exactly that position — not beginners, but professionals who need structured clarity, not another generic finance course.
Each module is self-contained and builds on the previous one. You can complete the full sequence in 8 weeks at roughly 4 hours per week, or take individual modules as standalone references.
Reading a budget document
What the columns actually mean, how allocation tables are structured, and where the real decisions are buried — usually not on the first page.
Revenue and expenditure flows
Tracing money from source to output across 4 common budget types — municipal, departmental, project-based, and consolidated annual reports.
Variance and deviation patterns
Why a 12% underspend in one line and a 9% overspend in another can point to the same underlying problem — and how to document that clearly.
Writing findings for non-specialists
Translating numerical analysis into plain-language summaries that decision-makers at different levels can act on without a finance background.
Regional budget case studies
Working through 5 real anonymised budget documents from different counties and sectors — applying the previous modules to messy, real-world data.
Full analysis project submission
Participants complete a structured analysis of a provided budget document and submit a written report — reviewed with written feedback within 14 days.
Two ways to take this program
The content is identical in both tracks. The difference is in pacing, feedback depth, and access to live sessions — choose what matches your schedule.
Independent study at your own pace
Structured cohort with live sessions
How the 8 weeks unfold
Weeks 1–2
Orientation and foundations
Modules 1 and 2
Document reading and revenue flow tracing. First live session in the guided track covers the most common points of confusion in budget terminology.
Weeks 3–4
Building analytical muscle
Module 3 — Variance patterns
The most technically demanding part of the program. Guided track participants receive a mid-program written check-in at the end of week 4.
Weeks 5–6
Communication and real data
Modules 4 and 5
Writing for non-specialists, then applying everything to 5 anonymised real-world documents from Irish regional authorities and project organisations.
Weeks 7–8
Capstone and review
Module 6 — Final submission
Participants complete and submit their full analysis project. Feedback arrives within 14 days for the guided track, 21 days for self-directed.