Plan
Budget Planning
Pick a target KPI and the AI drafts the budget from your last 12 months — then edit it directly, comment on cells, and inspect how it was built.
Budget Planning is where you build the company-wide budget — and it starts from the goal, not from empty cells. You pick a target KPI, enter the target, and the AI drafts a full budget from your last 12 months of actuals. From there you refine it directly in the template: edit cells, leave comments, check the change history, and inspect exactly what data and assumptions the AI used.
ACCOUNTBUDGETACTUALATTAIN
Revenue132.0128.497%
SG&A-25.0-27.3109%
OP profit23.019.083%
What you can do
- Start by choosing one of 7 target KPIs — the KPI decides the budget's scope: which accounts the AI computes and what data it needs.
- Pick a build mode: Top-line (recommended — start from target revenue and allocate costs down) or Bottom-line (precise — build up from departmental costs).
- Let the AI generate the draft — it analyzes your last 12 months of actuals and back-solves a 12-month, account-level budget that hits the target.
- Edit directly and comment in the template — click a cell to change a value, right-click for a cell comment, Shift-click to select ranges, right-click an account to add or delete rows. Every change lands in the change history.
- Add scenarios (+ Scenario) for optimistic and conservative cases — and for each budget version, view its projected income statement and balance sheet instantly. Flip period (month/quarter/year) and units as needed.
- Open Build basis & cost classification to see exactly how the AI built it — the base data, the method, and every account classified as variable, fixed, or semi-fixed.
The 7 target KPIs
| KPI | Budget scope (formula) |
|---|---|
| Operating profit (EBIT) — recommended | Revenue + COGS + SG&A |
| EBITDA | Operating profit + depreciation |
| Net income | Operating profit + non-operating items − income tax |
| EPS | Net income ÷ shares outstanding |
| ROE (needs BS) | Net income ÷ equity |
| ROIC (needs BS) | After-tax operating profit ÷ invested capital |
| ROA (needs BS) | Net income ÷ total assets |
How to build a budget
- 1Create a new scenario and pick your target KPI from the 7 — the picker shows each KPI's scope, and the BS-based ones are badged.
- 2Choose the build mode — Top-line (recommended) or Bottom-line.
- 3Set the budget period and the target value. Your last-12-months actual and a suggested target (actual +10%) are shown right under the input. Then press Generate budget.
- 4Refine the draft in the template — click cells to edit, right-click for comments, add or remove account rows. Check the change history to see who changed what.
- 5Open Build basis & cost classification to review the AI's data and assumptions — then Submit when the draft is ready.
The approval workflow
| State | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Draft | Being edited; not yet sent for review. |
| Submitted | Sent for approval and locked from further edits. |
| Approved | Accepted and set as the active budget version. |
| Rejected | Returned with comments; goes back to draft. |
Tip
The variable / fixed / semi-fixed classification comes from Cost behavior analysis in Management Rules. If a line is classified wrong, fix it there — the budget picks it up.
Note
You can also steer the budget from the AI chat — say "set the FY26 target to +6% operating profit" and the change lands in the template on the canvas.
Next steps
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