Portfolio / Expertise / Budget Tracking
Budget Tracking
A budget is a commitment, tracked in real time. I control expenditure against a $500K+ portfolio — so cost is a managed input, not an end-of-project surprise.
The Workflow — How I Approach It
Baseline the budget to the plan
The budget starts from the schedule — cost follows the work.
Track committed vs. actual
Record committed spend the moment it is committed — not when it’s paid.
Forecast to complete
Estimate the final cost from current performance — EAC, not just spend-to-date.
Flag variances with owners
Every overrun gets a named owner and a reason — no anonymous overruns.
Report to leadership
Dashboards that show cost, commitment, and forecast — decisions on data, not surprise.
My Operating View — The 2 Cents
Budget surprises come from tracking lag. My 2 cents: track committed spend, not just paid spend — by the time an invoice is paid, the decision window is gone. The forecast is the number that matters, not the spend-to-date.
What Worked & What Didn’t
What Worked
- Real-time tracking on a $500K+ portfolio — cost stayed a managed input.
- Leadership dashboards — budget decisions made early, on data.
What Didn’t
- Reconciling only at month-end — overruns discovered after the fact.
- Ignoring committed spend — the pipeline hid the real position.