Variance and board packs

Explain performance against the plan and share a consistent review.

Variance ReviewVarianceAnalyses
Period = last closed AccountingPeriod; use selected published comparison basis
PeriodEntityAccountBudget AmountActual AmountForecast Amount
05 SepBE-5390COA-5855243,943.4623,808.6142,228.65
16 SepBE-1672COA-3030222,905.9021,609.6146,957.84
27 SepBE-5835COA-9180244,448.5134,344.073,919.23
26 SepBE-3572COA-4237541,287.0028,015.296,968.60
13 SepBE-2303COA-476135,454.0039,993.8739,836.90
20 SepBE-8408COA-5458146,594.7728,702.3646,111.52
Records in this module

Compare the right financial bases

Variance Review uses a complete reconciled actuals batch, a locked budget version with its applied-transfer cutoff and the selected accepted forecast. Keep missing forecast values distinct from zero. Evaluate materiality in dollars and, where configured, percentage terms; a zero budget produces a null percentage with the absolute difference still visible. Use the effective account settings for the entity and retain their basis. Revenue and expense differences need their account context before Finance interprets whether the change is favorable.

Collect explanations from the responsible team

My Variance This Month gives Cost-Center Head the material findings within their entity scope. When the configured rule requires commentary, the owner supplies FluxComments with a reason, relevant driver and quantification where useful. FP&A Analyst reviews the explanation for that specific comparison. Pending FluxComments helps Finance follow up on missing work. A later recomputation has a different basis and must not inherit a reviewed comment as if its numbers had never changed. Preserve earlier explanations for the audit trail.

My Variance This MonthVarianceAnalyses
YouMaterial = truePeriod = latest closed periodFluxStatusPendingSubmitted
PeriodEntityAccountBudget AmountActual Amount
27 SepBE-3219COA-6903845,328.5039,039.02
16 SepBE-8236COA-7115726,562.535,510.51
17 SepBE-8156COA-4444733,742.4326,394.27
21 SepBE-1167COA-461798,086.8336,317.68
14 SepBE-6863COA-778582,905.9820,615.34
28 SepBE-6787COA-1575023,005.3220,001.70

Approve the packet that will be shared

Upcoming Board Packs contains the preparation and review work for Finance. SnapshotManifest records the exact budget revision, actuals batch, accepted forecast, transfer cutoff and scenario runs included in the PDF. CFO approves that packet before distribution. Published Board Packs gives Executive Reader access only to approved or distributed artifacts. Pack approval is distinct from an external board resolution. If the board requests a budget change, retain its mandate and prepare a new draft revision with renewed decisions before locking it.

Upcoming Board PacksBoardPacks
StatusDraftGeneratedInReviewMeetingDate >= today
Pack NumberCycleMeeting DateAs Of PeriodBased On Version
BP-37841BC-685210 Sep19 SepBV-86047
BP-57898BC-627812 Sep15 SepBV-88170
BP-42453BC-962727 Sep01 OctBV-20809
BP-12437BC-408021 Sep29 SepBV-78937
BP-47699BC-424215 Sep17 SepBV-43199
BP-14844BC-323418 Sep26 SepBV-71620

Rollout checks

Reconcile a closed month with a zero-budget account, a material currency variance and an optional percentage threshold. Review the owner’s explanation, generate a packet and record its approval. Then publish a later forecast and verify that the earlier PDF and manifest remain intact. Confirm that an Executive Reader cannot retrieve a draft packet through a copied link or export.

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
  • VarianceAnalyses
  • FluxComments
  • BudgetVersions
  • RollingForecasts
  • AssumptionsLog
  • BoardPacks
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)
  • BoardPacks
  • BudgetVersions
  • RollingForecasts
  • AssumptionsLog
  • FluxComments
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
  • BudgetVersions
  • RollingForecasts
  • AssumptionsLog
  • FluxComments
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
  • VarianceAnalyses
  • FluxComments
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
  • FluxComments
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
  • VarianceAnalyses
  • BoardPacks
  • BudgetVersions
  • RollingForecasts
  • FluxComments
  • 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
  • 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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