Facilities that focus on manufacturing and production track two kinds of costs: fixed costs and variable costs. The variable costs are those that change when production levels change: raw materials, ...

Please note: This item is from our archives and was published in 2012. It is provided for historical reference. The content may be out of date and links may no longer function. In his article ...

Companies use variance analysis to compare financial performance changes from one month to the next, or perhaps from one quarter to another or year to year. Typically, actual financial results are ...

Even the best budgets rarely turn out exactly the way that planners expect. Whenever you're planning in advance for a period of time, you'll inevitably make some mistakes in your estimates, and it's ...

A company's planned budget at the beginning of the year will always end up being different from how the year actually plays out. It's just impossible to predict how the year will go. The differences ...

Discover how efficiency variance reveals the gap between expected and actual inputs in production and its impact on labor, materials, and costs.

It's that time of the year when finance professionals are having nightmares about the accuracy of their spreadsheet-based budgeting Every year – or sometimes more frequently – we hit the season every ...

Have you ever found yourself staring at rows and rows of budget and actual data, wondering how to make sense of it all? You’re not alone. Budget versus actual analysis is one of those tasks that feels ...

Alight is getting set to release the latest version of its corporate budgeting and strategic planning software next week. Version 4.5 of Alight Planning features expanded support for importing and ...

Nothing about starting your own company is easy. Thankfully, when it’s just you and your partner, it’s fairly simple to monitor your spending and keep your budget in check. You’ll reach a point though ...

Discovering that your company’s financial performance has veered off course early in the year can stir a whirlwind of emotions for small-business owners and managers. You might find yourself ...