Budgeting & Forecasting is the FP&A workbench that turns a CFO's top-down financial targets and a department head's bottom-up operational plan into one defensible budget for the fiscal year, then keeps it honest with monthly Actuals-vs-Budget-vs-Forecast variance reporting and a rolling N-month forecast that updates as the business changes. It runs the annual cycle (kick-off, baseline load, department submissions, CFO negotiation, board approval, mid-year reforecast), manages multiple Versions per Cycle so the audit trail preserves "what we submitted" alongside "what got approved," cascades top-down Targets (Revenue, op ex, EBITDA, Cash) to budgeting Entities (cost centers, departments, programs, legal entities), and computes budget lines from Drivers (Headcount, Avg salary, rent per SF, sales growth pct) via driver formulas so an authorized draft Headcount change recalculates affected lines using their retained formula basis, without altering approved history.
Budget versions in one list
| Version number | Cycle | Version type | Status | Total revenue | Total op ex | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BV-87063 | FY27 third quarter review | Submission | Draft | 26,249.49 | 3,223.08 | |
| BV-23457 | FY26 annual plan | Negotiation CFO | Submitted | 2,304.65 | 25,484.82 | |
| BV-37082 | FY27 first quarter review | Board approved | In review | 9,284.56 | 14,242.39 | |
| BV-11516 | FY27 fourth quarter review | Mid year reforecast | Draft | 37,282.45 | 21,774.12 | |
| BV-76859 | FY27 fourth quarter review | Board approved revision | Submitted | 10,156.32 | 44,772.39 |
FP&A Director gives the planning decision after the assigned Analyst review.
Every feature works on the same records. Pick one to see the screen your team works in.
Build a plan your teams can explain and your finance leaders can review.
Financial approval waits for the cfo
| Version | Submission revision | Step order | Approver role | Approver | Status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY27 approved plan, version 4 | 310 | 210 | CFO | Lena Fischer | Pending | |
| FY27 finance review, version 2 | 420 | 70 | CFO | Lena Fischer | Pending | |
| FY27 submission, version 1 | 380 | 550 | CFO | Pavel Novak | Pending | |
| FY27 submission, version 1 | 650 | 80 | CFO | Zara Mahmoud | Pending | |
| Q1 approved revision, version 2 | 450 | 310 | CFO | Pavel Novak | Pending |
Show which assumptions produced each planning number.
Assumptions log
| Log number | Change type | Driver | From value | To value | Changed by | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AL-19091 | Driver created | Emmanuel Boateng | 8.0% annual growth | 6.5% annual growth | Oliver Grant | |
| AL-47003 | Driver updated | Pavel Novak | $120,000 monthly spend | $135,000 monthly spend | Lena Fischer | |
| AL-80046 | Driver value updated | Sofia Haddad | 45 new hires | 38 new hires | Jun Seo | |
| AL-88406 | Formula created | Jun Seo | 12 week lead time | 14 week lead time | Oliver Grant | |
| AL-65984 | Formula updated | Pavel Novak | $6.80 freight per unit | $7.40 freight per unit | Jun Seo |
Compare alternatives without changing the approved budget.
What if runs
| Run number | Scenario | Baseline revenue | Scenario revenue | Baseline EBITDA | Scenario EBITDA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WIR-18679 | Cash conservation plan | 31,097.29 | 26,831.72 | 4,827.93 | 27,986.63 | |
| WIR-34145 | FY27 board commitment | 24,995.30 | 9,741.34 | 4,172.99 | 4,190.73 | |
| WIR-96640 | Q1 hiring delay case | 28,238.45 | 38,104.97 | 35,730.37 | 19,554.98 | |
| WIR-79568 | Q2 supplier price increase | 39,967.85 | 35,871.70 | 47,010.97 | 11,328.43 | |
| WIR-51032 | Q2 supplier price increase | 34,445.76 | 18,088.56 | 41,513.76 | 40,944.45 |
Refresh the outlook while keeping earlier forecasts intact.
Rolling forecasts
| Forecast code | Name | Cycle | As of period | Horizon months | Window start | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RF-2026-10 | October 2026 rolling forecast | FY26 year end close | 18 Oct | 450 | 23 Oct | |
| RF-2026-11 | November 2026 rolling forecast | FY27 third quarter review | 11 Oct | 160 | 23 Oct | |
| RF-2026-12 | December 2026 rolling forecast | FY28 planning kickoff | 31 Oct | 200 | 23 Oct | |
| RF-2027-01 | January 2027 rolling forecast | FY26 year end close | 11 Oct | 20 | 23 Oct | |
| RF-2027-02 | February 2027 rolling forecast | FY27 second quarter review | 31 Oct | 300 | 23 Oct |
Keep budget changes and spending follow-up accountable.
Budget transfers
| Transfer number | Version | Period | From entity | From account | To entity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BT-68570 | Q1 reforecast, version 1 | 27 Oct | West region | 4010 Service revenue | Retail operations | |
| BT-49261 | Q1 approved revision, version 2 | 24 Oct | West region | 6400 Software subscriptions | Field service | |
| BT-76743 | FY27 board draft, version 3 | 22 Oct | Distribution center | 6200 Facility rent | Field service | |
| BT-98288 | FY27 approved plan, version 4 | 14 Oct | North region | 5000 Cost of goods sold | Wholesale sales | |
| BT-80092 | Q2 department submission, version 1 | 11 Oct | Distribution center | 4000 Product sales | North region |
Explain performance against the plan and share a consistent review.
Variance analyses
| Period | Entity | Account | Budget amount | Actual amount | Forecast amount | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 Oct | Product development | 4010 Service revenue | 43,943.46 | 23,808.61 | 42,228.65 | |
| 22 Oct | Wholesale sales | 4000 Product sales | 22,905.90 | 21,609.61 | 46,957.84 | |
| 02 Nov | Field service | 6400 Software subscriptions | 44,448.51 | 34,344.07 | 3,919.23 | |
| 01 Nov | Field service | 6300 Freight expense | 41,287.00 | 28,015.29 | 6,968.60 | |
| 19 Oct | West region | 7100 Interest expense | 5,454.00 | 39,993.87 | 39,836.90 |
Plan to approved budget ships ready to use. 2 steps need a named approval before the work moves on: Review (FP&A Director) and Approve (CFO).
Set the driver, calendar and target basis before planning.
Build the draft from the selected baseline and scoped inputs.
Freeze the revision the team is sending for review.
Review the proposal and retain the assigned planning decision.
Record CFO financial approval and the separate board evidence.
Compare explicit snapshots and explain material differences.
Open any budget version to see its scenarios, the roles that work on it, its process stages and its approvals on one page.
Status, Total revenue, Total op ex and EBITDA.
Each line is linked to this budget version.
Admin, CFO and FP&A Director, each with their own permissions.
V1 baseline build and Approval cascade, with the role that acts.
Review and Approve, with who decides.
Submission
| Scenario code | Name | Version |
|---|---|---|
| FY27-BASE | FY27 base operating plan | FY27 approved plan, version 4 |
| FY27-UPLIFT | FY27 retail demand upside | FY27 finance review, version 2 |
| FY27-DOWNSIDE | FY27 freight cost downside | FY27 submission, version 1 |
Signed in as FP&A Director
| Decision | Approver | |
|---|---|---|
| ReviewReview the proposal and retain the assigned planning decision. | FP&A Director | |
| ApproveRecord CFO financial approval and the separate board evidence. | CFO | |
| Approve mid-Cycle Driver / Formula changes | Admin | |
| Approve budget versions at the CFO step (Status: In review → Approved) | CFO | |
| Approve budget transfers above a configured threshold | CFO | |
| Approve board packs (Status: In review → Approved) | CFO |
Everyone opens Budgeting & Forecasting to the work that is theirs. Pick a role to see what it starts with.
Systems administrator. Owns configuration, integration health, the Drivers and driver formulas master, and the budget cycles calendar. Not the day-to-day budget operator.
Owns Targets, signs off the final budget version, reviews and approves board packs. The named approver at the top of the budget-approval chain.
This is the first screen this role sees.
Scenarios · CFO
Designs each budget cycle, manages Versions through the cycle, runs Scenarios, owns the rolling forecasts, builds board packs. The day-to-day owner of the planning workbench.
This is the first screen this role sees.
Scenarios · FP&A Director
Operational role. Loads Actuals, runs and reviews variance analyses, prepares flux comments, supports Cost-Center Heads through the submission cycle, drafts board packs for Director review.
This is the first screen this role sees.
Scenarios · FP&A Analyst
Department / cost-center owner. Submits own Entity's budget lines (Type: Budget) during the cycle, defends Variance each month with flux comments, requests budget transfers.
This is the first screen this role sees.
Commitments · Cost-Center Head
Line-of-business manager with scope limited to inputs that feed budget — headcount asks, capex requests, vendor cost estimates for own org. Sees aggregate own-org budget but no peer detail.
Read-only access to board packs, top-line dashboards, and the approved budget version summary. Used by board members and exec staff.
This is the first screen this role sees.
Targets · Executive Reader
Read-only with full assumptions log access for compliance and internal-audit work. Includes draft and approved artifacts.
This is the first screen this role sees.
Board packs · Auditor
| Pack number | Meeting date | As of period | Based on version | Approved at | Status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BP-30136 | 29 Oct | 07 Nov | FY27 finance review, version 2 | 11 Nov | Approved | |
| BP-65172 | 11 Oct | 14 Oct | Q2 department submission, version 1 | Distributed | ||
| BP-11360 | 31 Oct | 02 Nov | FY27 submission, version 1 | 06 Nov | Approved | |
| BP-82378 | 28 Oct | 03 Nov | FY27 submission, version 1 | Distributed | ||
| BP-52330 | 13 Oct | 16 Oct | FY27 finance review, version 2 | 23 Oct | Approved |
Compare the selected plan, actuals and forecast on a consistent basis.
This quarter
How far records got this quarter
| Stage | Reached | Step | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Draft | 30 | ||
| Submitted | 15 | 50% | |
| In review | 7 | 47% | |
| Approved | 4 | 57% |
Sample totals per stage
Compare explicit versions, snapshots and applied-transfer cutoffs; missing forecast values remain distinct from zero.
Explain changes in the planning earnings measure using its reviewed account mapping and consistent periods.
Connect staffing and compensation assumptions to the resulting personnel-cost plan.
Compare retained what if runs and their input differences.
Follow published outlooks without replacing earlier monthly snapshots.
Reconcile effective budget, actual costs and remaining unrecognized commitments.
Inspect applied and rejected changes with their decision evidence.
Trace the driver, formula and revision basis behind the numbers.
See how Budgeting & Forecasting fits your kind of team.
Each stage of plan to approved budget names the role that acts and the status it records, so a change is never anonymous.
Each stage, the role that acts and the status it records
Prepare planning work while keeping decisions attributable.
Set up connections through ERP.AI and Proto workflows, with every change logged.
Every record lives in a table you can see, extend and export. Add fields or whole tables in Proto.
Browse all 23 tablesStart with one team and one process, then add the rest once the basics are running.
Confirm the planning calendar, USD scope, account mapping, entity owners, baseline and transfer policy.
Validate identities, account references, prior-period actuals and remaining commitments against their owners.
Load drivers and formula revisions, create scoped drafts and test the assigned review route.
Submit per-cell monthly outlooks, review and accept them, then publish an intact snapshot with allocated adjustments.
Explain material variance, generate the exact board packet and verify the required financial decision and external board evidence.
$0per user
The base account and everyday work in the ERP.AI app are free, for every user.
| Usage | Per $1 |
|---|---|
| Record reads (list, filter, get) | 20,000 |
| Search or aggregate queries | 4,000 |
| Record writes | 4,000 |
| Imported or synced records | 200,000 |
| Workflow runs | 2,000 |
| AI agent runs | 2,000 |
| Scheduled jobs or webhooks | 20,000 |
| File uploads (MB) | 2,000 |
| CSV or PDF exports | 100 |
Click Get started, then use Proto to configure Budgeting & Forecasting for your business. Set up your workflows, import your data and invite your team.
No. Budget versions and published rolling forecast snapshots retain separate identities. A new outlook does not overwrite the locked plan. Transfers and structural revisions follow their own authorization paths.
Cost-Center Heads work within their permitted entity scope. Finance has the authorized consolidated view. Scope also applies to exported data, files, formulas and derived totals.
The configured ledger integration stages a closed-period batch with a source identity and cutoff. Reconcile mappings and totals before publishing the complete snapshot. A retry must not duplicate actuals or post a journal.
FP&A Director decides up to and including the configured cycle threshold; CFO decides above it. The exact revision must satisfy the source-availability and period policy. Applied transfers add balanced deltas while retaining the locked baseline.
The absolute variance remains visible and the percentage is null. Currency and optional percentage thresholds are evaluated separately using the effective account settings.
CFO packet approval permits distribution of that exact artifact. External board authorization is recorded separately. A board-mandated budget change requires a new draft revision and renewed decisions before locking.
Yes. Use the canonical specification and paired app skill to configure the application on a reviewed branch. Verify permissions, calculation identity, connector reconciliation and decision evidence before runtime release.
There is no per-user fee for the base account and ordinary manual work in the official interface. Machine work, retention above the included allowance, model usage and implementation follow the published pricing terms.
Start free, then use Proto to change fields, steps and approvals before your team goes live.