An Agile Approach to Budgeting for Uncertain Times

Even in typical times, most planning and budgeting processes are at best, frustrating. Companies have an opportunity to make a clean break this year, with the pandemic requiring a more agile approach. This article highlights some excellent points, very much in line with what we’ve been advising our clients and what we follow ourselves: It pays to plan for higher performance, not for predictable earnings. It is best to expose honest uncertainties and potential pivot points—not pretend they are unthinkable. Allocate your resources from strategy down, rather than projects up as is done traditionally; you’ll likely find some eye-opening patterns. Plan faster and more frequently. Think of broad weather patterns at the beginning of a season and then hurricane updates closer to an event—a good analogy, since for many, the hurricane has already arrived.