Budget & Forecasting CEO / Admin
Plan budgets, track actuals, and benefit from AI-assisted cash flow forecasting.
Access
Sidebar → Budget
Or directly via: /dashboard/budget
Overview
The Budget & Forecasting module lets you define annual budgets by line and department, track actuals in real time, analyse variances, and project cash flows using ML predictive models.
Main Features
Budget Dashboard
Route: /dashboard/budget
- Overall budget execution rate
- Overspend alerts by line
- Planned vs. actual comparison (current month)
- Year-end projection
Budget Lines
Each budget is structured into lines with the following statuses:
| Status | Description |
|---|---|
| Draft | Being prepared |
| Submitted | Ready for validation |
| Approved | Validated and active |
| Rejected | Not retained |
| Archived | Closed at year-end |
Budget Line Components
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Description | Description of the expense or revenue |
| Category | Personnel, Equipment, Inputs, Infrastructure |
| Department | Responsible cost centre |
| Planned amount | Allocated budget |
| Actual amount | Expenses recorded to date |
| Variance | Automatically calculated gap (actual – planned) |
| Variance % | Variance rate as a percentage (automatically calculated) |
The Variance and Variance % fields are calculated automatically. Do not enter them manually.
Tracking Actuals
The connection with the Payroll, Purchasing, and Stock modules enables automatic updating of actual amounts:
- Payroll mass from the Payroll module
- Validated purchases from the Purchasing module
- Consumption from the Stock module
Variance Analysis
For each budget line:
- Graphical visualisation of planned vs. actual
- Alerts on lines overspent (>10% variance)
- History of budget revisions
- Mandatory explanatory comments for significant variances
Cash Flow Forecasting
Route: /dashboard/budget/cashflow
Cash flow projections:
- Projected inflows (sales, cooperative dividends)
- Projected outflows (payroll, purchases, charges)
- Projected cash balance by week / month
- Alert on periods at risk of cash tension
ML Predictions
The ML engine analyses historical data to:
- Predict seasonal expense trends
- Identify months with high overspend risk
- Recommend budget reallocations
- Project the year-end result
How to Use
Creating an Annual Budget
- Go to
/dashboard/budget - Click + New Budget
- Define the financial year and department
- Add budget lines one by one
- Submit for validation
- Once approved, the budget becomes the tracking reference
Tracking Execution
- Go to the budget lines list
- Filter by department or period
- Review the Variance column for gaps
- Click a line to see actual expense details
- Add an explanatory comment if the variance exceeds 10%
Generating a Budget Report
- Go to
/dashboard/budget - Click Export
- Choose the period and format (PDF or Excel)
- The report includes a planned vs. actual comparison per line
Roles & Permissions
| Role | Capabilities |
|---|---|
| CEO | Approve budgets, view all dashboards |
| Admin | Full access, create and edit budgets |
| HR Administrator | View HR budgets and payroll mass |
| Manager | Submit and track their department's budget |
| Supervisor | Read-only access |
FAQ
Q: Can a budget be revised mid-year? Yes. Create a budget revision from the relevant line. The revision history is retained for audit purposes.
Q: Are amounts in FCFA? By default, yes. The currency is configurable in the company settings for tenants outside the CFA zone.
Q: How do I identify which lines are overspent? The dashboard displays in red any lines where the actual exceeds the planned by more than 10%. An email alert can also be configured.
Review your budgets at mid-year using ML forecasts to anticipate cash flow pressure during intensive agricultural campaigns.