Test Environment Only
Real-World Analytical Skills · May 2026

Excel problems are architecture problems, not function problems.

A facilitated 14-module programme that teaches participants to think structurally before they think syntactically. Every unit opens with a business problem a working analyst would recognise, then introduces the technique as the solution.

14 Day-modules
77 Unit positions
36 Industry datasets
8 Role-based paths
The Approach

Architecture first. Functions second.

Most Excel training is tools-first: here is FILTER, here is its syntax, here is a contrived exercise. Participants return to their desks and rebuild the same fragile workbooks they were building before. Excel by Design closes that gap.

01 · Problem first

Real Australian business problems

Every unit opens with a Prestige AV operational scenario. The participant understands the goal before the syntax. When the function is introduced, it has a reason to exist.

02 · Three-layer model

Inputs, calculation, output

The three-layer architecture is introduced in Unit M1.2 and is never set aside. Every module that follows is taught within that structural frame.

03 · Industry context

No translation tax

One core curriculum delivered against 36 purpose-built Australian datasets. The participant's industry context is in the data, not in the trainer's apologies for it.

When a model breaks, it almost never breaks because the analyst did not know the right function. It breaks because the workbook was not designed to hold up. — Excel by Design, Design Philosophy
The Curriculum

Fourteen day-modules, taught in sequence.

From spill-aware table design through to AI-augmented workflows. Each unit runs a focused 1 hour, including a facilitated exercise grounded in a companion dataset.

ID Module Format Units
M1 Model Architecture FoundationsFull day6
M2 Data Transformation with Dynamic ArraysFull day7
M3 Advanced Array ManipulationFull day6
M4A LAMBDA Architecture and Higher-Order FunctionsFull day6
M4B Dynamic Aggregation with GROUPBY and PIVOTBYHalf day3
M5A Power Query — Transform and ShapeFull day6
M5B Power Query — Code, Connections, ArchitectureFull day5
M6A Financial Functions — CoreFull day6
M6B Financial Functions — Planning and OptimisationFull day5
M7 PowerPivot, DAX and Advanced AnalysisFull day8
M8A Dashboard Design and ChartingFull day6
M8B Interactive Controls and DeliveryFull day5
M9 AI-Augmented Excel WorkflowsFull day6
The Modelling Pathway

Three artefacts. Three skills. One progression.

Most Excel training teaches techniques in isolation. The Modelling Pathway is the only facilitated track that teaches financial modelling as a structured progression: construction at small scale, construction at depth, then inherited-model review and upgrade.

Stage 1 · Build Small

Melba Meadows

Yarra Valley cellar door · AUD 480k

  • Single workbook · 3 fiscal years
  • Six-hour facilitated build
  • Three reconciliation checkpoints
  • Binary investment recommendation
Skill: construction discipline
Stage 2 · Build Big

V1 Argyle Bay

The Mariana Perth · AUD 295m hotel

  • Six linked workbooks · 14 years
  • Multi-day intensive
  • Approx 3,900 formulas, 68 sheets
  • Institutional FAST architecture
Skill: scale and architecture
Stage 3 · Review and Upgrade

Argyle Bay 31A and 31B

Inherited model · the same deal

  • Half-day audit · day-and-a-half rebuild
  • Walcott Family Office review note
  • FAST Modelling Standard upgrade
  • Day-by-day reality for working analysts
Skill: critical review and upgrade
Companion Library

Thirty-six Australian industry datasets.

Audio-visual retail through to forensic carbon-credit accounting. Real Australian conventions throughout: AUD currency, DD/MM/YYYY dates, 1 July to 30 June fiscal year, 12% superannuation guarantee. Free overlay for most engagements.

Master case study

Prestige AV

The default dataset across all standard units. Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth audio-visual integrator. FY2016 to FY2026, 110,000+ rows.

Largest

Ridgeline Hardware

Star schema retail dataset at scale. 17 million rows of CSV across 16 Parquet files. The advanced Power BI workout.

Forensic

Verdantia Carbon Solutions

The only forensic dataset. Records pack of a fictional carbon brokerage in voluntary administration, with eight discrepancy vectors deliberately encoded.

Smallest

Banksia Lane Cafe

Deliberately compact at 406 rows. The small-business companion for introductory M1+M2 single-day deliveries.

Pricing Architecture

Discounts that scale with commitment.

All prices in Australian dollars, ex GST. The discount is applied automatically based on enrolment level. Volume pricing available for five or more participants.

Single Unit 0% $80 per unit Ad-hoc bookings, individual learner pickups
Single Module 10% $72 per unit All units in one day-module
Learning Path 12% $70.40 per unit Curated set for one role (A–H)
Programme Bundle 15% $68 per unit Two paths combined for team coverage
Ready to scope a programme?

Tell us about your team. We will build the proposal.

A short conversation surfaces the role mix, the priority skills, and the industry dataset that fits. We will return a written proposal with a recommended path or programme, an indicative schedule, and a quote.

Launch the proposal tool