Math for Business Operations

Applied Accounting with Excel

Capstone Overview

Investor‑Ready Capstone Project

Over 13 weeks, you will build an investor‑ready business plan and a linked Excel workbook. Your model should be self‑auditing, traceable, and free of hard‑coded totals. The capstone shows how your skills from all 8 units connect into one story.

See detailed expectations on Guidelines and scoring on Rubrics.

End Goal
What a strong capstone delivers
  • Linked Excel model with validation checks and clear formulas.
  • Scenario dashboard that explains best, base, and worst cases.
  • 10‑slide investor pitch that tells a clear, data‑driven story.
  • 3‑minute model‑tour video that shows how sheets connect.
Timeline

13 Weeks at a Glance

Each week builds one piece of your model and story.

Week 1
Proposal and roles: define the problem and your solution.
Week 2
Market data: collect and summarize what the numbers say.
Week 3
Revenue: unit economics and target margin with Goal Seek.
Week 4
Budget: CapEx vs. OpEx with clear categories.
Week 5
Funding: compare equity and debt; build a loan schedule.
Week 6
Pricing & forecast: explore price‑volume tradeoffs and CVP.
Week 7
Payroll: wage bands and taxes; weekly and monthly views.
Week 8
Inventory: FIFO/LIFO logic; turnover and days on hand.
Week 9
Depreciation: SLN vs. DDB; link to statements.
Week 10
Integrate: 12‑month I/S, B/S, C/F with checks.
Week 11
Scenarios: best/base/worst + tornado chart.
Week 12
Pitch deck draft and feedback.
Week 13
Live pitch, model tour, final reflection.
Deliverables

Milestones & Pages

Open each page for instructions and submission details.

Concept Proposal
Week 1

State the problem, your solution, and team roles.

Open page
Market Research
Week 2

Collect real data and summarize what it tells you.

Open page
Revenue Streams
Week 3

Build unit economics and use Goal Seek for target margin.

Open page
Start‑up Budget
Week 4

List CapEx vs. OpEx and roll into a monthly budget.

Open page
Funding Strategy
Week 5

Compare equity vs. debt and link interest to statements.

Open page
Pricing & Forecast
Week 6

Use a 2‑variable data table and chart CVP results.

Open page
Payroll Plan
Week 7

Design wage bands and compute gross→net with tax tables.

Open page
Inventory Planning
Week 8

Code FIFO/LIFO logic and show turnover KPIs.

Open page
Depreciation & Assets
Week 9

Compare SLN vs. DDB schedules and link to Balance Sheet.

Open page
Integrated Model
Week 10

Assemble linked I/S, B/S, C/F with validation checks.

Open page
Sensitivity & Risk
Week 11

Build scenarios and a tornado chart to rank drivers.

Open page
Pitch Deck
Week 12

Tell a clear, data‑driven story in 10 slides.

Open page
Demo Day & Reflection
Week 13

Deliver your pitch and write a final reflection.

Open page

Grading uses the capstone rubric. Review Rubrics before submitting.

Quality Standards
Simple practices that keep your model strong
  • No hard‑coded totals—use formulas so thinking is visible.
  • Document sources and note key formulas with brief comments.
  • Keep sheets clean: clear labels, units, and consistent formats.
  • Use validation checks to catch errors early.