budget analysis
Financial plan assessment
Budget analysis is the systematic examination of financial plans, comparing projected revenues and expenditures against actual figures or alternative scenarios.
Organizations use budget analysis to identify spending patterns, find inefficiencies, and inform future planning: The budget analysis revealed we were overspending on contractors.
A budget analyst is someone who performs this work professionally, typically for government agencies or large corporations.
- expense trackingRecording what you spend
- line itemDiscrete budgetary allocation
- financial reportingDocumenting business performance formally
- balance sheetAssets-liabilities-equity report
- evaluationDetermining worth or quality
number crunching · forecasting · fiscal year · zero-based budgeting · bottom line · oversight · bean counting · operational efficiency · data visualization · spending cuts · belt tightening · auditing · contingency planning · allocation · estimates · shortfall · red ink · financial
- economicssupply and demand, inflation, GDP, GNP, gross domestic product
- public policypolicy making, policy reform, economic policy, policy recommendations, education policy
- cost analysiscost assessment, cost basis, cost savings, direct costs, direct cost
- Economic Reportsquarterly reports, annual reports, GDP reports, trade balance, employment data
- fiscal policydeficit spending, fiscal reform, fiscal deficit, fiscal policy, government spending
- oversightoversight committees, oversight board, review, auditors, supervisor
budget analysisguesswork
Conclusions drawn without proof
reckless spending · gut feeling · intuition · shooting from the hip · spending spree