ACCA PM Chapter 11 - BUDGETING

Benefits of budgeting

• Planning
• Co-ordination
• Control
• Authorizing and delegating
• Evaluation of performance
• Communicating and motivating

Principal budget factor
The principal budget factor is the factor that limits the activity for the budget period. Usually, the limit is on the sales level. Sometimes, it could be a limit on the availability of raw materials that limit the activity.

A series of budgets is called a functional budget.


Types of budget:

• Fixed Budget

• Original Budget prepared (Usually for the next year)
• Rapidly goes out-of-date
• May update periodically.
• Remains Overall Target.

• Flexed Budget

• Rewrite the budget for the actual level of activity.
• Use it for Control purposes (Compare Actual with Flexed)

• Rolling Budget

• Dec07: Jan08-Dec08
• Jan08: Feb08-Jan09
• Feb08: Mar08-Feb09
• Each Month: Update the existing 11 months and add an extra month.
• Benefits:
• Always more up-to-date
• Becomes part of normal work
• Better budgets

Methods of Budgeting

• Incremental budgeting
• Take last year's figures and adjust, for inflation, for changes in the level of activity.
• Zero-based budgeting
• List alternatives available
• List out and choose best
• Then prepare budgets.
• Problem:
• Time-consuming/Expensive
• Need expertise/Training/Involvement
• Solution:
• Identify the most important area each year, use zero-based.
• use incremental on the rest.

Behavioral Aspects:

• Top-Down
• Prepared by top management
• Bottom-Up
• Managers prepare budgets
• Managers more motivated
• Dangers: Managers budget more than needed - budget padding.

"Beyond Budgeting"

Comparing to last year's figures and budgets is meaningless. Consider not doing budgets at all but finding other ways to compare departments, perhaps even comparing with another company.

Source: https://opentuition.com/acca/pm/acca-performance-management-pm-lectures/