Budget vs Actual & Variance

The problem

The budget lives in one workbook, actuals in another, and the comparison is pasted together after the close. By the time a department head sees the variance, the month that caused it is over.

What we build

A Power BI model holding budget, actual and forecast at the same grain, so any page can compare them without reshaping. Variances are explained at the driver level where the data supports it and flagged against thresholds, and each department sees its own page from the same model.

What you receive

• Budget loaded at the grain you plan at (month, department, account)
• Budget vs actual pages by department and cost centre
• Variance split into price, volume and mix where the data allows
• Exception highlights above a threshold your team sets
• Forecast column fed from the same model

What we need from you

The budget file as your team keeps it, the actuals export, and the mapping between the two (departments, cost centres, accounts).

How it runs

1. 1 · Understand
2. 2 · Map
3. 3 · Build
4. 4 · Validate
5. 5 · Train & hand over