Better Budget Planning

Abstract

Every CIO dreads that painful fall ritual of building a budget for coming year. During this process, we're confronted with a laundry list of user needs- or wants, to be more precise-and a set of constraints imposed by CFO and CEO. Once we add in base-load tasks (to keep lights on), tactical upgrades, messy but strategic IT changes, and our own goals for IT team development, we're left with a massive list, sometimes referred to as the unachievable many. As budget process moves forward, we typically find ourselves in crossfire between these competing forces. Eventually, organization collaborates, fights, or dictates its way to a for coming year. Dwight Eisenhower once said, In preparing for battle, I have always found that plans are useless but planning is indispensable. I experienced this firsthand while serving in military, quickly learning that nearly every plan degrades as real events unfold. However, process of planning (gathering correct information,having clear goals, understand ing risk, and outlining an approach that's more like a path than a tightrope) was key to being able to successfully adapt as situation evolved. So, as we move into budget planning season, I thought it might be useful to discuss core concepts of a healthy budget planning process.