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Performance Evaluation

Budget-vs-actual variance analysis with automatic favorable/unfavorable classification, root-cause drilldown, and KPI achievement tracking.

Performance Evaluation compares what you planned against what actually happened. It calculates variances automatically, tells you whether each one is favorable or unfavorable, and lets you drill into the cause — then hands the result to FP&A to turn into a polished report.

What you can do

  • Get automatic variance calculation, each one classified favorable or unfavorable.
  • Run a root-cause drilldown by period to see exactly what moved a number.
  • Compare budget versions in the Version compare tab — every scenario side by side with its target KPI, target value, attainment, and favorable/unfavorable reading.
  • Track KPI achievement — how close each KPI landed to its target.
  • Hand off to FP&A to turn the variance story into a report you can share.

How to run a variance review

  1. 1Open Performance Evaluation and pick the period and the budget version to compare actuals against.
  2. 2Review the variance table — Numen has already split each line into favorable and unfavorable.
  3. 3Click into a large variance to drill down and find the driver behind it.
  4. 4Switch to the Version compare tab to see every budget version side by side — target KPI, target value, attainment, favorable/unfavorable — with the active version marked.
  5. 5Check KPI achievement to see which targets were met and which slipped.
  6. 6Hand the analysis to FP&A to generate a report with the variance narrative built in.
Note
Favorable and unfavorable are about impact on the result, not size. A cost coming in under budget is favorable; revenue coming in under budget is unfavorable — Numen classifies each line by its effect.
Tip
Working with several budget versions? Version compare keeps the baseline debate short — every scenario, its target KPI, and its attainment in one table, with the active version marked.

Next steps

Set the budget
Every variance is measured against a budget version.
Report in FP&A
Turn the variance story into an exportable report.
Anomaly detection
Let AI flag unusual items behind a variance.
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