Planning, budgeting and forecasting software
Planning, budgeting and forecasting is typically a three-step process for determining and mapping out an organization’s short- and long-term financial goals.
- Planning provides a framework for a business’ financial objectives —
typically for the next three to five years.
- Budgeting details how the plan will be carried
out month to month and covers items such as revenue, expenses, potential
cash flow and debt reduction. Traditionally, a company will designate a
fiscal year and create a budget for the year. It may adjust the budget
depending on actual revenues or compare actual financial statements to
determine how close they are to meeting or exceeding the budget.
- Forecasting takes historical data and current
market conditions and then makes predictions as to how much revenue an
organization can expect to bring in over the next few months or years.
Forecasts are usually adjusted as new information becomes available.
The process is usually
managed by a chief financial officer (CFO) and the finance department. However,
the definition can be expanded to include all areas of organizational planning
including: financial planning and analysis, supply chain planning, sales
planning, workforce planning and marketing planning.
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