Plan Budget Summary table
The Plan Budget Summary table is the topmost table on the budget tab of a plan. It summarizes funds that you expect to spend in the plan and the programs that it contains. The Plan Budget Summary table monitors finances for the entire plan.
- Plan Budget is the total budgeted amount. In total view, the Plan Budget Summary table displays the total budget for the plan's entire life; detailed view separates it into increments of the currently selected fiscal year. Change the fiscal year on the Summary tab if necessary.
- Program Allocations shows the total budget of all the plan's programs.
- The Forecast Total is all predicted spending across the plan.
- The Committed Total is all the money that is spoken for in the plan up to this point. Even though the money is not yet spent, the committed total represents costs that will occur even if the plan is canceled.
- The Actual Total is all funds spent so far on the plan. Unica Plan calculates the actual amount that is spent through the invoice functions. This total is likely to be much lower than the others due to time lags between planning expenses and paying bills.
The Remaining column
In each row, the Remaining column is the difference between the Plan Budget and the entry in the Amount column. For example, Unica Plan calculates the forecast remainder by subtracting the forecast total from the Plan Budget.
Although calculated by a simple subtraction, the Remaining column provides high-level information and potential warnings about the financial state of the plan's budget. The Remaining column summarizes how much money was allocated or planned for use, how much remains for additional spending, and how much you might recover if you canceled unfinished efforts.
- In the Program Allocations row, the Remaining column represents additional money the plan owner has left to distribute to existing or not-yet-created programs. If the total allocation of funds to child programs exceeds the total budget of the plan, the remainder is negative. The plan needs more funding to successfully complete the programs.
- In the Forecast Total row, the Remaining column indicates the amount of money the plan owner has left if current forecasts are accurate. If the figure is negative, the plan needs more funding to succeed at expected costs.
- In the Committed Total row, the Remaining column indicates how much money the plan owner has left if the plan and all its programs and projects are canceled. The plan owner needs to understand how much money can be returned if associated programs are canceled, if budgets are tightened.
- In the Actual Total row, the Remaining column represents the real balance that the plan owner has at the current time. This figure is useful for monitoring cash flows, although it is likely lower than the forecast total or committed total remainder due to time lag between planning expenses and paying bills.