| Budget Development & Baselines |
Excel, Power BI, ChatGPT, Workday Adaptive |
Assemble baseline budgets from historicals; apply drivers/assumptions; produce rollups and versioned scenarios. |
Creates a defensible starting point for planning. |
| Forecasting & Scenario Modeling |
Excel (Solver), Power BI, ChatGPT, Python |
Model best/base/worst cases; perform sensitivity analyses on revenue, inflation, and staffing. |
Prepares leaders for uncertainty and tradeoffs. |
| Variance Analysis & Narrative |
Power BI, ChatGPT, Excel, Google Slides |
Automate MoM/QoQ variance tables; draft clear narratives of drivers and corrective actions. |
Turns numbers into actionable management insight. |
| Department Partnering & Requests |
Notion, Forms, ChatGPT, Smartsheet |
Intake funding requests; standardize business cases; summarize impacts on KPIs and headcount. |
Improves prioritization and fairness across teams. |
| Capital Planning & Depreciation |
Excel, Power BI, ChatGPT, Fixed-asset modules |
Track capex pipelines; model depreciation and funding sources; visualize payback/IRR. |
Aligns long-term assets with strategy and cash flow. |
| Workforce & Payroll Budgeting |
Workday, Excel, ChatGPT, Power BI |
Forecast FTEs, merit, benefits, and vacancies; simulate hiring plans and labor mix changes. |
Controls the largest cost driver in most orgs. |
| Grants & Fund Accounting (Public/Nonprofit) |
Oracle/PeopleSoft, Excel, ChatGPT, OneTrust |
Allocate costs to funds; track allowability/period of performance; generate drawdown packets. |
Protects compliance and funding continuity. |
| Procurement & Spend Controls |
Coupa, SAP Ariba, ChatGPT, Power BI |
Monitor encumbrances vs. budget; flag off-contract or over-threshold spend; draft policy reminders. |
Reduces leakage and improves adherence to policy. |
| Executive & Board Reporting |
Power BI, Canva, ChatGPT, Google Slides |
Publish dashboards for burn rate, runways, and fund balances; craft concise exec summaries. |
Enables quick, confident decisions at the top. |
| Audit Readiness & Documentation |
SharePoint, OneTrust, ChatGPT, DocuSign |
Maintain workpapers, approvals, and change logs; auto-index evidence for auditors. |
Speeds audits and strengthens internal control. |
| AI Governance & Transparency |
Claude, ChatGPT, SharePoint, Excel |
Log AI-assisted calculations and narratives; validate against source data and document human review. |
Builds trust in AI-enabled financial planning. |