| A survey related to Excel Budgeting conducted | | | | remaining rows in the template and the headers |
| by Adaptive Planning in Nov 2006 revealed that | | | | & sub-headers are re-aligned to the new |
| 78% of the respondents use spreadsheets as | | | | layout. |
| their company primary budgeting and forecasting | | | | Benefits #3:Budget users no longer have to keep |
| tool. This phenomenon is not limited to only small | | | | separate worksheets for their own workings and |
| and medium companies. It's noted that amongst | | | | for submission. |
| the large companies, 68% rely primarily upon | | | | Breakthrough # 2: |
| spreadsheets as their budgeting and forecasting | | | | JUST by using formulas and not cell links, the |
| tool. | | | | details in the template can be easily transferred to |
| Despite the number of limitations in using Excel as | | | | another worksheet. Updates to the numbers |
| a budgeting tool and the availability of Business | | | | usually take less than one minute. |
| Performance Management Systems (BPMs) in the | | | | Benefits #4:Budget managers and users can |
| market, the host of benefits offered by Excel in | | | | make use of the database to create pivot tables |
| budgeting continued to be unrivalled. BPMs | | | | and perform analysis on their budgeted numbers. |
| overcome some of the limitations of Excel but | | | | With pivot tables, budget managers and users can |
| eroded the advantages at the same time. Hence, | | | | analyse the numbers from more than one |
| many budget managers choose to overlook the | | | | perspective (e.g. by distribution channels followed |
| Excel limitations (such as cell links across | | | | by product groups or vice versa). |
| workbooks) and enjoy the benefits of using Excel | | | | Breakthrough #3: |
| as a budgeting tool. | | | | We can consolidate the numbers provided by |
| As previous budget managers, we have gone | | | | each budget users (e.g. business units, |
| through the same pains and could understand and | | | | departments, countries) into a worksheet using a |
| identify the needs and wishes of every budget | | | | relative unknown function which existed even in |
| manager who are using Excel as a budgeting tool | | | | older versions of Excel such as Office 2000. It is |
| and looking for solutions to undermine its | | | | not a macro and yet it has the power to |
| limitations. We have concertedly diverted some of | | | | automatically update the budget numbers when |
| our resources from our key activities to research | | | | the consolidated workbook is opened (Note: Only |
| and work on fulfilling those unmet needs. And | | | | one worksheet is needed to perform the |
| today, we are excited to see the results -- a | | | | consolidation). |
| breakthrough in removing each of those Excel | | | | Benefits #5: |
| limitations while preserving all the benefits of the | | | | The details from the respective departments, |
| current excel budgeting method. In other words, | | | | business units or countries are not lost during |
| we have a revolutionary solution that enhances | | | | consolidation. |
| the existing way of Excel budgeting! | | | | Benefits #6: |
| THE 3 BREAKTHROUGHS AND 8 BENEFITS IN | | | | We could still use pivot table to analyse the |
| OUR EXCEL BUDGETING APPROACH | | | | consolidated budget numbers and do detailed |
| Breakthrough # 1: | | | | comparison of the budget numbers provided. |
| JUST by using formulas, we are able to align the | | | | Benefits #7: |
| headers and sub-headers to the budget numbers. | | | | Reporting and presenting of the budget numbers |
| This means that each set/line of the budget | | | | becomes a breeze when you use pivot table as |
| numbers has its own classification, be it the | | | | the source. It does not matter anymore which |
| header, sub header, product categories, etc. Unlike | | | | row the set of budget numbers is located. The |
| linked cells where we have to manually specify | | | | row location can even change over time and the |
| the description we have to point, our formulas | | | | set of budget numbers you want will always be |
| are intelligent enough to detect which header and | | | | presented in the report or chart. This feature is |
| sub-header each budget line belongs to. | | | | available only in Office 2002 and above. |
| Benefit #1:This means that every budget | | | | Benefits #8: |
| manager has total control over the layout of the | | | | Budget managers can create each chart within a |
| template. Budget managers can easily customise | | | | minute. And these charts can be set up such that |
| the template to their organisation needs. | | | | they can be updated automatically upon opening |
| Benefits #2:Budget users can re-arrange the row | | | | or at regular interval. New data will be added |
| layout of the budget items and budget managers | | | | automatically and old records are deleted when it |
| can still easily capture the inputs into their | | | | detects that the record has been removed from |
| consolidated worksheet. All they have to do is to | | | | the source. |
| populate the formula in the first row to the | | | | |