Budget Planner

Expert budget creation and management agent that builds comprehensive budgets, tracks spending against plans, analyzes variances, and optimizes resource allocation. Specializes in zero-based budgeting, rolling forecasts, and multi-scenario planning.

This skill applies structured budgeting methodologies to help organizations plan spending, control costs, and make data-driven allocation decisions. Perfect for annual planning, project budgets, departmental spending, and startup runway management.

Core Workflows

Workflow 1: Annual Budget Creation

Objective: Build a comprehensive annual operating budget from scratch

Steps:

1. Gather Historical Data

   • Prior year actuals (P&L by month)
   • Prior year budget vs actual variances
   • Headcount and compensation data
   • Vendor contracts and commitments
   • Capital expenditure history
   • Revenue trends and projections

2. Define Budget Parameters

   • Fiscal year start/end dates
   • Budget cycle (calendar vs fiscal)
   • Currency and exchange assumptions
   • Inflation assumptions (2-4% typical)
   • Headcount growth assumptions
   • Revenue growth targets

3. Revenue Budget

   • Product/service revenue projections
   • Pricing assumptions
   • Volume/unit assumptions
   • Seasonal patterns
   • New product launches
   • Customer retention assumptions
   • Geographic mix

4. Cost of Goods Sold (COGS) Budget

   • Direct materials costs
   • Direct labor costs
   • Manufacturing overhead
   • Gross margin targets
   • Unit economics assumptions

5. Operating Expense Budget

   • Personnel Costs:

     • Salaries and wages (by department)
     • Benefits (typically 20-30% of salary)
     • Payroll taxes (7.65% FICA + state)
     • Bonuses and commissions
     • Stock-based compensation
     • Contractor costs

   • Facilities Costs:

     • Rent and lease payments
     • Utilities
     • Insurance
     • Maintenance and repairs
     • Property taxes

   • Technology Costs:

     • Software subscriptions (SaaS)
     • Hardware and equipment
     • Cloud infrastructure
     • IT support and services

   • Marketing Costs:

     • Advertising and media
     • Events and conferences
     • Content and creative
     • Marketing technology
     • Agency fees

   • General & Administrative:

     • Legal and professional services
     • Accounting and audit
     • Office supplies
     • Travel and entertainment
     • Training and development

6. Capital Expenditure Budget

   • Equipment purchases
   • Facility improvements
   • Technology infrastructure
   • Depreciation schedules

7. Cash Flow Implications

   • Working capital needs
   • CapEx timing
   • Seasonal cash requirements
   • Financing needs

8. Budget Consolidation

   • Roll up departmental budgets
   • Eliminate intercompany items
   • Create consolidated P&L budget
   • Balance sheet projections
   • Cash flow projections

9. Scenario Development

   • Base case (most likely)
   • Upside case (+10-20% revenue)
   • Downside case (-10-20% revenue)
   • Cost reduction scenarios

Deliverable: Complete annual budget package with P&L, departmental details, and scenarios

Workflow 2: Project Budget Development

Objective: Create a detailed budget for a specific project or initiative

Steps:

1. Project Scope Definition

   • Project objectives and deliverables
   • Timeline and milestones
   • Resource requirements
   • Success criteria
   • Constraints and dependencies

2. Work Breakdown Structure

   • Decompose project into phases
   • Identify major work packages
   • List activities within each package
   • Estimate effort for each activity

3. Resource Cost Estimation

   • Internal Labor:

     • Identify required roles
     • Estimate hours per role
     • Apply fully-loaded labor rates
     • Account for utilization rates

   • External Resources:

     • Contractor/consultant rates
     • Agency or vendor costs
     • Outsourced services

4. Non-Labor Costs

   • Materials and supplies
   • Software and tools
   • Equipment and hardware
   • Travel and expenses
   • Training and certifications
   • Contingency reserve (10-20%)

5. Cost Phasing

   • Spread costs across timeline
   • Account for payment terms
   • Identify upfront vs. ongoing costs
   • Create monthly cost forecast

6. Budget Controls

   • Approval thresholds
   • Change request process
   • Variance reporting triggers
   • Contingency release criteria

7. Risk-Adjusted Budget

   • Identify cost risks
   • Probability-weighted contingency
   • Management reserve (if applicable)
   • Total project budget with reserves

Deliverable: Project budget with timeline, resource plan, and risk contingencies

Workflow 3: Zero-Based Budgeting

Objective: Build budget from scratch justifying every expense

Steps:

1. Identify Decision Units

   • Define budget owners
   • Establish decision units (departments, functions)
   • Clarify accountability

2. Define Service Levels

   • Minimum level (survival)
   • Current level (maintain status quo)
   • Improvement level (enhanced performance)
   • Each level must be costed

3. Cost Justification

   • For each expense, answer:
     • Why is this needed?
     • What happens without it?
     • What are alternatives?
     • What’s the ROI?

4. Decision Package Creation

   • Package 1: Minimum viable operations
   • Package 2: Core operations
   • Package 3: Growth investments
   • Package 4: Strategic initiatives

5. Ranking and Prioritization

   • Stack rank all packages
   • Apply funding constraints
   • Make trade-off decisions
   • Document rationale

6. Final Budget Assembly

   • Fund packages within constraints
   • Document unfunded priorities
   • Create implementation plan

Deliverable: Zero-based budget with prioritized decision packages

Workflow 4: Rolling Forecast Update

Objective: Continuously update budget with latest actuals and projections

Steps:

1. Close Period

   • Gather actual results for completed period
   • Ensure data completeness
   • Reconcile to GL/accounting

2. Variance Analysis

   • Calculate budget vs actual variances
   • Identify significant variances (>5% or material)
   • Categorize as:
     • Timing differences (will normalize)
     • Run-rate changes (permanent)
     • One-time items (non-recurring)

3. Forecast Adjustment

   • Update remaining periods based on:
     • Run-rate from actuals
     • Known commitments
     • Revised assumptions
     • New information

4. Full-Year Outlook

   • Combine YTD actuals + forecast
   • Compare to original budget
   • Calculate expected year-end variance
   • Identify risks to forecast

5. Action Planning

   • If tracking above budget: investment opportunities
   • If tracking below budget: corrective actions
   • Document assumptions and risks
   • Assign owners to actions

6. Reporting Package

   • Executive summary
   • Variance commentary
   • Updated forecast
   • Risks and opportunities
   • Recommended actions

Deliverable: Updated rolling forecast with variance analysis and action plan

Workflow 5: Startup Runway Planning

Objective: Model cash runway and funding needs for startups

Steps:

1. Current Cash Position

   • Cash on hand
   • Outstanding receivables
   • Available credit lines
   • Expected fundraise timing

2. Monthly Burn Rate Analysis

   • Current monthly expenses
   • Committed future expenses
   • Planned hiring costs
   • Growth investments

3. Revenue Assumptions

   • Current MRR/ARR
   • Growth rate assumptions
   • Churn assumptions
   • Cash collection timing

4. Runway Calculation

   • Gross burn = Total monthly expenses
   • Net burn = Gross burn – Revenue
   • Runway = Cash / Net Burn
   • Zero cash date projection

5. Scenario Modeling

   • Current trajectory
   • Aggressive growth scenario
   • Conservative/survival scenario
   • Path to profitability scenario

6. Milestone Mapping

   • Key milestones for next funding round
   • Costs to achieve milestones
   • Timeline requirements
   • Funding amount needed

7. Cash Management Actions

   • Expense reduction opportunities
   • Revenue acceleration options
   • Timing optimization
   • Bridge financing options

Deliverable: Runway model with scenarios and funding recommendations

Quick Reference

Budget Templates

Monthly P&L Budget Template

| Line Item | Jan | Feb | Mar | Q1 | Apr | May | Jun | Q2 | ... | FY Total |
|-----------|-----|-----|-----|----|----|-----|-----|----|----|----------|
| **Revenue** |
| Product Revenue | | | | | | | | | | |
| Service Revenue | | | | | | | | | | |
| **Total Revenue** | | | | | | | | | | |
| |
| **COGS** |
| Direct Costs | | | | | | | | | | |
| **Gross Profit** | | | | | | | | | | |
| Gross Margin % | | | | | | | | | | |
| |
| **Operating Expenses** |
| Personnel | | | | | | | | | | |
| Marketing | | | | | | | | | | |
| Technology | | | | | | | | | | |
| Facilities | | | | | | | | | | |
| G&A | | | | | | | | | | |
| **Total OpEx** | | | | | | | | | | |
| |
| **Operating Income** | | | | | | | | | | |
| Operating Margin % | | | | | | | | | | |

Variance Report Template

# Budget Variance Report: [Period]

## Executive Summary
- Total Revenue: $XXX vs Budget $XXX (X% variance)
- Total Expenses: $XXX vs Budget $XXX (X% variance)
- Net Income: $XXX vs Budget $XXX (X% variance)

## Significant Variances (>5%)

### Favorable Variances
| Line Item | Actual | Budget | Variance | Explanation |
|-----------|--------|--------|----------|-------------|
| | | | | |

### Unfavorable Variances
| Line Item | Actual | Budget | Variance | Explanation |
|-----------|--------|--------|----------|-------------|
| | | | | |

## Full-Year Impact
- Current trajectory vs annual budget
- Risks to achieving budget
- Recommended actions

## Forecast Update
- Revised full-year forecast
- Key assumption changes

Budgeting Best Practices

Planning Phase

• Start with strategic priorities
• Get executive alignment on key assumptions
• Involve budget owners early
• Build in realistic timelines
• Document all assumptions

Execution Phase

• Distribute budgets to owners
• Establish spending approval processes
• Set up variance monitoring
• Create regular reporting cadence
• Enable budget vs actual tracking

Monitoring Phase

• Monthly variance reviews
• Rolling forecast updates
• Action plans for significant variances
• Re-forecast when major changes occur
• Year-end projections

Common Budget Categories

Integration with Other Skills

• Use with cash-flow-forecaster: Convert budget to cash projections
• Use with revenue-modeler: Develop revenue assumptions
• Use with unit-economics-calculator: Validate profitability assumptions
• Use with cost-optimizer: Identify budget reduction opportunities
• Use with financial-reporter: Create budget reporting packages

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

• Hockey stick projections: Be realistic about growth rates
• Ignoring seasonality: Build monthly fluctuations into budget
• Underestimating personnel costs: Include benefits, taxes, raises
• Forgetting one-time costs: License renewals, annual fees
• No contingency: Include 5-10% buffer for unknowns
• Static budgets: Update forecasts as reality changes
• Sandbbagging: Budgets should be achievable but ambitious
• No accountability: Assign clear owners to every line item