ACCA Performance Management (PM): study notes Area by area, with worked examples and quizzes.

1. 01A. Management information systems and data analyticsThe information that performance management runs on: the role, costs and benefits of information systems, the five main types (transaction processing, management information, executive information, enterprise resource planning and customer relationship management) and how networks, intranets and wireless technology move information around. The module then covers the sources of information used for control, the controls that keep it reliable and confidential, and data visualisation, and ends with big data, data mining and the four types of data analytics: descriptive, diagnostic, predictive and prescriptive.4 lessons · 2h 25m+

   • Management information systems45 min
   • Uses and control of information40 min
   • Big data and data analytics45 min
   • Module 1 quiz15 min
2. 02B. Specialist cost and management accounting techniquesFive techniques built for modern business conditions: activity-based costing, compared in full with traditional absorption costing; target costing and the cost gap, for products and services; and life-cycle costing. The module then covers throughput accounting, with the theory of constraints, the throughput accounting ratio and ranking products by throughput per bottleneck hour, and ends with environmental management accounting (input-output analysis, flow cost accounting, ABC and life-cycle costing) and the management accountant's role in sustainability.6 lessons · 4h 10m+

   • Activity-based costingFree preview50 min
   • Target costing45 min
   • Life-cycle costing40 min
   • Throughput accounting50 min
3. 03C. Decision-making techniquesThe short-term decision techniques of PM: relevant costing and the minimum price for a contract, cost-volume-profit analysis for one product and several, limiting factors and linear programming with shadow prices and slack, demand-based and cost-based pricing, make-or-buy, outsourcing, further processing and shutdown decisions, and the tools for risk and uncertainty. Each lesson works exam-style examples in full and ends with a quick check, and the module quiz tests all six sub-areas.7 lessons · 5h 30m+

   • Relevant cost analysis45 min
   • Cost-volume-profit analysisFree preview50 min
   • Limiting factors55 min
   • Pricing decisions55 min
4. 04D. Budgeting and controlBudgetary systems from incremental and zero-based budgeting to rolling, activity-based and beyond budgeting, and the forecasting techniques behind them, including the learning curve. Then standard costing and the variances PM adds to Management Accounting: material mix and yield, sales mix and quantity, and planning and operational variances. The module ends with analysing performance from variances and with how a variance system shapes the behaviour of the people it measures.8 lessons · 6h 45m+

   • Budgetary systems and types of budget55 min
   • Analytical techniques in budgeting and forecasting60 min
   • Standard costing50 min
   • Material mix and yield variances60 min
   • Sales mix and quantity variances
5. 05E. Performance measurement and controlHow to assess performance from a financial and a non-financial viewpoint: ratios, non-financial indicators, short-termism and sustainability, the balanced scorecard and the building block model. Then divisional performance with return on investment and residual income, and transfer pricing, including the issues for multinational groups. The module ends with the special problems of not-for-profit organisations and the public sector, and value for money through economy, efficiency and effectiveness.4 lessons · 2h 55m+

   • Performance analysis in private, public and not-for-profit organisations55 min
   • Divisional performance and transfer pricing60 min
   • Performance issues in not-for-profit organisations and the public sector45 min
   • Module 5 quiz15 min
6. 06F. Employability and technology skillsThe skills the computer-based PM exam rewards beyond technical knowledge: planning your time across the three sections, reading requirements precisely, building calculations in the spreadsheet with labelled inputs and functions such as SUMPRODUCT, MAX and MIN, and writing discussion that applies each point to the scenario. The module works a Section C style example in full and finishes with a quiz on exam technique.2 lessons · 55 min+

   • The computer-based exam: spreadsheets, workings and presentation40 min
   • Module 6 quiz15 min

• AManagement information systems and data analytics
• BSpecialist cost and management accounting techniques
• CDecision-making techniques
• DBudgeting and control
• EPerformance measurement and control
• FEmployability and technology skills

Questions