Budget planning

Build a plan your teams can explain and your finance leaders can review.

My Budget SubmissionBudgetVersions
StatusDraftSubmittedInReviewYouCycle.Status is Open or Planning
Version NumberCycleVersion TypeStatusTotal RevenueTotal Op Ex
BV-87063BC-1772SubmissionDraft26,249.493,223.08
BV-23457BC-2033NegotiationCFOSubmitted2,304.6525,484.82
BV-37082BC-4171BoardApprovedInReview9,284.5614,242.39
BV-11516BC-8596MidYearReforecastDraft37,282.4521,774.12
BV-76859BC-9168BoardApprovedRevisionSubmitted10,156.3244,772.39
BV-65230BC-4375SubmissionInReview22,944.115,800.20
Records in this module

Start with a clear planning basis

FP&A Director chooses a reconciled prior-year actuals snapshot, prior budget or zero-based starting point. Create the BudgetLines for the intended accounts, entities and months, then retain the source and calculation basis. CFO sets Targets for the negotiation, including the correct units for revenue, costs and headcount. A target is a planning goal, not an approved commitment. Open Budget Cycles shows the active calendar and due dates so the team knows which submission window governs its work.

Open Budget CyclesBudgetCycles
StatusPlanningOpen
Planning
BC-98033CC-170500 fiscal year
BC-74705CC-805170 fiscal year
BC-59875CC-812180 fiscal year
Open
BC-60479CC-964760 fiscal year
BC-99922CC-211270 fiscal year
BC-10151CC-237150 fiscal year

Give each team its own submission

Each Cost-Center Head works within an entity-specific draft. My Budget Submission shows the relevant version and status without exposing another department’s line amounts. A formula-driven line keeps its computed value alongside a permitted manual override, giving Finance the reason for a difference. Submission freezes the current revision and starts its assigned review. If a reviewer returns the proposal or its material assumptions change, keep the earlier revision and route the new one through the required decisions.

Keep the final decision attached to the plan

FP&A Analyst reviews the assigned submission, FP&A Director gives the planning decision and CFO approves the financial proposal. Pending Budget Approvals retains the actor and exact revision for each step. External board authorization remains separate evidence. Apply any board conditions to a draft revision, complete the financial route and record CFO verification of the resolution before locking V3. Later transfers and reforecasts retain their own identities; they cannot silently replace the numbers that were originally approved.

Pending Budget ApprovalsApprovals
PendingYou
VersionStep OrderApprover RoleApproverStatus
BV-83710100FPAAnalystYBPending
BV-42336140FPADirectorKPPending
BV-65336880CFONJPending
BV-22502370FPAAnalystDVPending
BV-52741140FPADirectorUAPending
BV-13346390CFOBWPending

Rollout checks

Pilot one cycle with two departments and a returned submission. Compare each submitted revision with the consolidated proposal and the recorded decision. Test access through a copied record link as well as the normal workspace. Confirm that changing a draft cannot alter an approved baseline or reuse an earlier approval.

Roles and permissions

CFO

Owns Targets, signs off the final BudgetVersion, reviews and approves BoardPacks. The named approver at the top of the budget-approval chain.

Permissions and records
  • CRUD on Targets (sets the top-down goalposts)
  • Read on every BudgetCycles, BudgetVersions, BudgetLines, Drivers, DriverValues, DriverFormulas, Scenarios, WhatIfRuns, RollingForecasts, RollingForecastSubmissions, ForecastAdjustments, VarianceAnalyses, FluxComments, Commitments, BudgetTransfers, Approvals, AssumptionsLog org-wide
  • Approve BudgetVersions at the CFO step (Status: InReview → Approved)
  • Approve BudgetTransfers above a configured threshold
  • Targets
  • BudgetCycles
  • BudgetVersions
  • BudgetLines
  • Approvals
  • AssumptionsLog
FP&A Director

Designs each BudgetCycle, manages Versions through the cycle, runs Scenarios, owns the RollingForecasts, builds BoardPacks. The day-to-day owner of the planning workbench.

Permissions and records
  • CRUD on BudgetCycles, BudgetVersions (create new Version, advance Status, lock), BudgetLines org-wide (only in authorized Draft Versions), Scenarios, WhatIfRuns, RollingForecasts, ForecastAdjustments, BoardPacks (Status: Draft → Generated → InReview)
  • Read on Targets, Drivers, DriverFormulas, RollingForecastSubmissions, Commitments, Approvals, AssumptionsLog
  • Approve BudgetVersions at the FP&A Director step
  • Approve BudgetTransfers up to threshold (above goes to CFO)
  • BudgetCycles
  • BudgetVersions
  • BudgetLines
  • Targets
  • Approvals
  • AssumptionsLog
FP&A Analyst

Operational role. Loads Actuals, runs and reviews VarianceAnalyses, prepares FluxComments, supports Cost-Center Heads through the submission cycle, drafts BoardPacks for Director review.

Permissions and records
  • Prepare and validate unpublished Actual and Forecast batches through the controlled workflows
  • cannot edit published snapshots
  • Maintain variance explanations, never manually set computed results or reviewer decisions
  • Edit draft DriverValues within the current editable Version
  • BudgetCycles
  • BudgetVersions
  • Targets
  • Approvals
  • AssumptionsLog
Cost-Center Head

Department / cost-center owner. Submits own Entity's BudgetLines (Type: Budget) during the cycle, defends Variance each month with FluxComments, requests BudgetTransfers.

Permissions and records
  • CRUD on BudgetVersions of own OwnerEntity while Status: Draft — submit flips to Status: Submitted
  • CRUD on BudgetLines of Type: Budget and Type: Forecast within own Version's draft / submission window where BudgetLines.Entity = own Entity OR Entity.Parent = own Entity (covers the sub-cost-center hierarchy under the head)
  • CRUD on RollingForecastSubmissions where Entity = own Entity while Status: Draft → Submitted
  • CRUD on own BudgetTransfers (Submit only — approval routes to FP&A Director / CFO)
  • BudgetVersions
  • BudgetLines
  • Targets
  • Approvals
Manager

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.

Permissions and records
  • Read on BudgetEntities for own org
  • Propose draft DriverValues of Driver.Category IN (Workforce, Productivity) for own org's Entity (e.g. proposes Headcount ask for next period)
  • Read aggregate BudgetLines of Type: Budget for own org Entity (own Entity totals only)
  • Read Drivers catalog
  • BudgetEntities
  • BudgetLines
  • Targets
Executive Reader

Read-only access to BoardPacks, top-line dashboards, and the approved BudgetVersion summary. Used by board members and exec staff.

Permissions and records
  • Read on BoardPacks (Status: Approved or Distributed only), the top-line BudgetVersions summary fields (TotalRevenue, TotalOpEx, EBITDA — no per-line breakdown), Targets org-wide, RollingForecasts summary, and the org-level VarianceAnalyses rollup
  • Cannot read BudgetLines per-cell, DriverValues, FluxComments, AssumptionsLog, or any draft / unapproved artifact
  • BudgetVersions
  • Targets
  • BudgetLines
  • AssumptionsLog
Auditor

Read-only with full AssumptionsLog access for compliance and internal-audit work. Includes draft and approved artifacts.

Permissions and records
  • Read on every table including AssumptionsLog (full audit trail), Approvals (full approval history), BudgetTransfers (including drafts and rejections), prior superseded BudgetVersions, and all Scenarios lineage
  • Cannot edit anything
  • cannot delete
  • no approval rights
  • BudgetVersions
  • Approvals
  • AssumptionsLog

Related processes

Build and approve the budget

Take a scoped proposal through the required financial decisions.

5 stages · 3 approvals

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