Budget Module

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Pulling Non-Resource Items into the Budget
• Budgeted vs Forecasted Role Allocation
• Timesheets and Actual Burn
• Variance and Percentage Overruns
• Summary Table: Key Metrics

Pulling Non-Resource Items into the Budget

This section explores how Screedragon allows users to analyze project roles, forecasted hours, and actual spending using an interactive data breakdown. This clarifies how resourcing decisions impact the overall project budget and forecast. To incorporate non-resource items from an Estimate into the Budget, you must first review the estimate to locate costs such as materials, equipment, or other expenses not linked to specific resources.

1. Click Budget Breakdown.
   
   
2. Navigate to Non-Resource Costs. Non-resource items include Travel, Project Contingency, Out-of-Pocket Expenses, etc. They appear in your overall budget view, as well as in the estimate and forecast tabs, as non-resource costs.
3. On the Overview tab, you can show or hide Resource and Non-Resource Costs, allowing you to analyze and visualize their impact on your project’s financials. Click the caret (▸) next to a project line item to expand the view.
   
   
   
4. This reveals individual roles allocated to the project, including:

   • Budgeted Hours per role

   • Forecasted Hours (based on current planning)

   • Actual Hours submitted via timesheets

Budgeted vs Forecasted Role Allocation

Each role displays the originally budgeted hours alongside any changes made during planning. 

For example:

• Account Manager: Initially budgeted for 18 hours; actual burn is 11 hours.
• Other Roles: May have been added later with additional hours

These changes increase the forecasted project cost, as more hours and additional roles contribute to the overall spend.

Note: This is why your project forecast may increase over time—modifications to task assignments and resourcing plans directly impact future projected costs.

Timesheets and Actual Burn

The actual burn comes from approved timesheet data:

• Timesheets record hours worked and are attributed to roles

• For instance, if a role was forecasted for 48.2 hours but 39 have been booked via timesheets, the system will track this gap in real-time

This real-time visibility allows for more accurate comparisons between:

• Budgeted vs. Forecasted Spend
  
  

• Budgeted vs. Burn

• Forecasted vs. Burn

Variance and Percentage Overruns

Screedragon calculates cost variance based on the relationship between:

• Estimated Budget

• Actual Spend (via timesheets)

• Forecasted Cost

For example:

• If the original estimate was $7,440, and the actual spend is $2,263.27, the system shows how much remains

• If current forecasts indicate a future cost of $8,980, it reflects that you've already used 41.28% relative to initial projections

These percentages and variances provide high-level financial reporting directly within the project dashboard, helping teams identify:

• Which roles are driving cost increases

• How closely the project is tracking its original budget

• Where adjustments may be needed to stay within financial goals

Summary Table: Key Metrics