In-Year Budget Control and Management

Slides:



Advertisements
Similar presentations
CHAPTER22 CASH FLOW STATEMENTS.
Advertisements

MANAGEMENTS DISCUSSION & ANALYSIS NMASBO Fall Conference 2012 Taos, New Mexico Presented by Leslie Smith, Retired Business Manager.
PATHWAYS TO IMPROVING BUDGET IMPLEMENTATION BUDGET MANAGEMENT AND FINANCIAL ACCOUNTABILITY COURSE THE WORLD BANK MARCH 1, 2004 ALLEN SCHICK.
Budget Execution; Key Issues
1 Budgets and Budgetary Control Prepared and Presented By Gladstone K. Hlalakuhle.
FOR NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS Presented by Henrietta Jordan.
CFO Model December 2007 Bill Matthews A/Executive Director Government Accounting and Policy Office of the Comptroller General.
Accounting 6310 Chapter 6 – Budgeting.
Budget Update October 15, Budget Planning and Development: Mary Simon, Senior Director Tammy Anthony, Assistant Director Elizabeth Bay, Senior Budget.
Short-Term Financial Management
Workforce Planning Training for Supervisors Presentation Subtitle/Description Presenter’s Name Date.
Andrew Graham Queens University School of Policy Studies
IS Audit Function Knowledge
Date: 03/05/2007 Vendor Management and Metrics. 2 A.T. Kearney X/mm.yyyy/00000 AT Kearney’s IT/Telecom Vendor Facts IT/Telecom service, software and equipment.
Budgeting According to hotel management consultant Kirby Payne, ‘Managing expenses is among the most important things a manager does. (I never say it.
XII- COST CONTROL, MONITORING & ACCOUNTING
Cash Management: Part 2: From a Cash Flow Plan to Process Governance Andrew Graham Queens University School of Policy Studies.
Welcome to Financial Series #3 The Cash Flow Forecast.
PRESENTATION outline DEFINITION AND PURPOSE OF THE IYM
Internal Auditing and Outsourcing
Winning Ways: Setting Budget Priorities and Getting Support Andrew Graham School of Policy Studies Queens University.
Presented by: Professor N Amy Santos, State College of Florida GOVERNMENTAL ACCOUNTING.
Chapter Seven Event Budgeting.
Measure what matters – to build stronger financial performance and to achieve financial stability under OFR Peter Scott Peter Scott Consulting
© 2010 Plexent – All rights reserved. 1 Change –The addition, modification or removal of approved, supported or baselined CIs Request for Change –Record.
PAD190 PRINCIPLES OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
Managing Cash Flow Presented by Kate Barr, Nonprofits Assistance Fund.
© 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a license.
Software Project Management Lecture # 8. Outline Chapter 25 – Risk Management  What is Risk Management  Risk Management Strategies  Software Risks.
ZHRC/HTI Financial Management Training
Audit Commission Presentation Salford City Council Consideration of the financial statements.
Effective Management and Compliance 1 ANA GRANTEE MEETING  FEBRUARY 5, 2015.
Chapter 1 Overview of a Financial Plan
Lecture 31. Chapter 8 Budgetary Planning and Control.
Slide 2.1 Accounting and Reporting on an Accrual Accounting Basis Chapter 2.
Chapter Seven Event Budgeting
Govt. Reporting - 1 GOVERNMENTAL REPORTING City Council Budgetary Hearing.
The Management of Service centers NCURA REGIONS VI and VII CONFERENCE April 7, 2009.
1. 2 IMPORTANCE OF MANAGEMENT Some organizations have begun to ask their contractors to provide only project managers who have been certified as professionals.
School Finances for Finance Subcommittees School Councils.
Nonprofitfinancefund.org ©2009 Nonprofit Finance Fund.
1 Unit 1 Information for management. 2 Introduction Decision-making is the primary role of the management function. The manager’s decision will depend.
Overview Goal Setting. Budget The Importance of Budgeting Preparation of an annual budget and continuous budget monitoring allows management to anticipate.
Chapter 3 1. Learn the purposes and types of budgets
A Guide for Management. Overview Benefits of entity-level controls Nature of entity-level controls Types of entity-level controls, control objectives,
PSAB based financial reporting and governance for District School Boards Information Session for School Board Finance Staff and External Auditors Transfer.
Financial Management and Budgeting The Details. What Is a Budget? A useful tool for keeping track of funds. A useful tool for keeping track of funds.
I have a Grant, Now What??! John Hulvey Office of Sponsored Programs Administration and Accounting.
Financial Management Glencoe Entrepreneurship: Building a Business Analyzing Your Finances Managing Your Finances 21.1 Section 21.2 Section 21.
Hands on Budgeting Wendy Watson April 18, Agenda Why and when to budget? Types of budgets Revenues Expenses Cost allocation Types of budget Reports.
Operations 104 Class 7—Finance Policy. Class 6—Financial Policy Most churches have some sort of collection of policies on Finances. Often these come from.
Fund Accounting Jim Corkill Business & Financial Services November 2014.
UNIVERSITY OF DAR ES SALAAM t Selection and Employment of Consultants Negotiations with Consultants; Monitoring Performance of Consultants; Resolving Disputes.
June 2009 Role of the Treasury - expenditure control.
London Life Young Leaders United Way of London & Middlesex Financial Reports & the Board of Directors by Angela Byrne CPA CMA October 3, 2015.
Chapter 1 Overview of a Financial Plan. Copyright ©2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.1-2 Chapter Objectives Explain how you benefit from.
Statement No. 54: Fund Balance Reporting and Governmental Fund Type Definitions 2011 City Managers’ Association of Oklahoma Mini-Conference The views expressed.
Organizations of all types and sizes face a range of risks that can affect the achievement of their objectives. Organization's activities Strategic initiatives.
Welcome. Contents: 1.Organization’s Policies & Procedure 2.Internal Controls 3.Manager’s Financial Role 4.Procurement Process 5.Monthly Financial Report.
 In-Year Budget Control and Management Andrew Graham Queens University School of Policy Studies 2016.
1 Fund AccountingNovember 17, 2015 Fund Accounting Jim Corkill | Controller Business and Financial Services Controller’s Office.
In-Year Budget Control and Management
Presented by Jean Fecteau OEO Fiscal Analyst
Budget Formulation: good practices
PEFA 2016 Slides selected from the training materials of the PEFA secretariat.
INTRODUCTION TO PUBLIC FINANCE MANAGEMENT
Cornerstones of Financial Accounting, 3e.
PEFA 2016 Slides selected from the training materials of the PEFA secretariat.
Expenditure Management
In-Year Budget Control and Management
Presentation transcript:

In-Year Budget Control and Management Andrew Graham Queens University School of Policy Studies MPA 827 2015

Structure Today: lecture, first part Cash Management Class Exercise Tomorrow: Reprise and more material Group work on final assignment.

Reprise Focus on internal management of budgets in-year – management accounting Basis for adapting approved budget to changing circumstances Cash Management Exercise: a scenario of a financial situation will be presented and you will be asked to brief your boss, the Deputy Minister as well as your colleagues on the senior management committee

Cash Management = In-Year Budget Management Definitions Cash, budget, treasury and liquidity can get confused at this point No one term exists for the management of in-year budgets This is not about managing bank accounts to ensure adequate cash is on hand: that is a liquidity management function – commonly called cash management This is not about the effective use of cash at hand in terms of short-term investments: that is a treasury function Goal: managing the budget at hand effectively. Cash Management = In-Year Budget Management

Why Budget and Forecast? Budgets and Forecasts A budget is a formally approved plan for the operation for a specific period. An approved budget becomes the benchmark to test your actual results A forecast is a projection of activity based upon the latest information.

Why Budget and Forecast? Budgets and Forecasts Measure actuals and forecasts against the budget throughout the planning process. Analyze anticipated versus actual results – variance. Predict future performance and anticipate changes. Assist in monitoring control of current performance. Provide early warning of deviations from plans. Take actions needed.

Definition In-year budget management is the system which compares actual expenditures against unit spending plans for a given financial year, identifies risks and variances and enables the adjustment of resource allocations to reflect changed circumstances in the that year. Also called IN-Year Monitoring. An early warning system. Budget Cash Management is not a way to re-open the budget decisions but to adapt to changing circumstances.

Effective in-year budget management creates opportunity for managers to: Ensure that they remain within budget Alert senior management to shifts in demand for services or other cost drivers Maximize the use of their funds so that they are fully expended for their stated purpose and opportunities to meet emerging needs are met Reallocate within a current year so meet unanticipated needs A means of assessing departmental, unit and individual performance

Key Part of the Job Responsibility of all responsibility centre managers Knowing how to do it is important Uses tools of control, risk management, forecasting, good financial reporting and analysis

Managing the Budget Reflects on Performance Out of control budgets suggest bad management or failure to adapt to changing circumstances. Money unspent in a persistent or perverse way suggests failure to deliver full program or program shifitng. An organization’s ability to collectively manage its current resources most effectively reflects its overall capacity to work as a team or unit toward a set of coherent goals

Managing the Budget Reflects on Performance The degree of flexibility and decentralization in an organization will have an impact on how cash is managed in terms of how it can and cannot be redistributed, the degree of reporting and the scope and role of central corporate offices within the organization

Actual Cash Remains a Concern In the public sector, even with accrual accounting, there remains a high measure of accountability for explaining what is happening to voted funds within one year. Financial reporting requires this annualized approach. Some argue that the main concern is how cash is used during the period and not matching revenue and expense which is of a higher priority in the private sector – this remains a preoccupation of many players in the scene: managers, clients, oversight groups and legislators

Importance of in-Year Budget Management Organizations are always looking for spare capacity and this is one way of finding it in the short term. It does not replace permanent reallocations, program evaluation or policy making that shifts resources in a formal way, i.e. legislatively or through other policy instruments. Budgets can be complex landscapes.

Compliance Adaptability During the year budget management will involve: receiving regular high-level reports on budget spend and the likely outturn being briefed on in-year pressures and actions proposed agreeing virements within the budget that need your confirmation receiving a summary of findings and action from key internal and external audit reports ensuring appropriate information is provided to the relevant scrutiny committees to support their work paying particular attention to bids for capital funding and monitoring progress – these frequently slip from the initial timetable and you should know why reviewing with your director how services can be made more efficient.

What could possibly go wrong? Errors in reporting – accounting systems can be wrong Incomplete information Budget plan proved to be inaccurate Actual events did not conform to plan Unanticipated surges in demand or loss of revenue Catastrophic events

The Objectives of Effective In-Year Budget Management To have funds to pay the bills, i.e., sufficient liquidity To use budgeted resources for their program purposes and not leave needed funds unspent To keep within the appropriated or authorized budget To have the organizational and resource capacity to react to changes in plan To reallocate available funds to meet emerging, short- term priorities.

The Big Three Questions What has happened so far? What do we think will happen to our plan for the rest of the year? What (if any) actions do we need to take to achieve our agreed plan?

Qualities of the Financial Performance Review Process Focus on a few critical aspects of performance Look forward as well as back Explain and react to key risk considerations Explain and react to key capacity considerations Source: Reporting Principles, Canadian Comprehensive Audit Foundation, 2003

Qualities of the Financial Performance Review Process Explain other factors critical to performance Integrate financial and non-financial information Provide comparative information Present credible information, fairly interpreted Disclose the basis of reporting

In some countries, this is the law The accounting officer in New Zealand must submit to the relevant treasury and executive authority within 15 days of the end of each month, information on: · the actual revenue and expenditure for that month, in the format determined by the national Treasury · projections of anticipated expenditure and revenue for the remainder of the current financial year in the format determined by the national Treasury · information on conditional grants received and actual spending against them · information on all transfers · any material variances and a summary of actions to ensure that the projected expenditure and revenue remain within the budget.

Movement towards government-level Interim Financial Reports

Operational Cash Forecasting Goes Beyond Financial Statements Knowing about cash movements to date based on financial reports is not enough Encumbrances and anticipated risk or costs changes are not reflected Cash forecasting and financial reporting moves into the realm of bringing content, knowledge and numbers together

From Cash Flow to Cash Forecasting: Financial Statements Financial analysis uses the financial statements and other sources of information to: help managers and outsiders understand an organization's financial condition, make decisions about the organization, and compare an organization's financial performance to its peers.

From Cash Flow to Cash Forecasting: Financial Statements There must be confidence in the retrospective information to then add in the value of management forecasting, commitments and risks Analysis of just financial statements rarely gives a final answer Rather, it indicates where further analysis is needed

From Cash Flow to Cash Forecasting: Financial Statements Good organization management, regardless of the size of the organization, demands that the organization regularly review its financial situation Financial Statements/Cash Forecasts/ Financial Report/Review of Performance Reports are different names for such a process

The In-Year Budget Management Mix Reliable Cash Management Financial Data Risk Commitments Forecasts Projections Comparisons

From Cash Flow to Cash Forecasting: Financial Statements The cash management process is not a purely financial function. In fact it will fail if it is. Managers’ input at the beginning, middle and end is essential Most financial information is submitted to the manager for decision Means moving some decisions up the ladder, overseeing other financial managers, aggregating data to the level of the entity

Some other basic questions that good financial analysis can help answer Is the organization on budget? Will there be over-runs, will there be surpluses? Have the budget assumptions changed? Is resource use matched to objectives? How is the organization or its units performing relative to previous years, to each other and to plan? Are significant shifts being detected in this data?

Some other basic questions that good financial analysis can help answer What is the significance of these shifts? Is there a need for extra-ordinary action? Supplementary funding? Internal reallocation? Emergency funding? How are managers performing? What opportunities exist to solve problems internally or to meet unplanned demands that are nonetheless important for the organization?

Elements of an In-Year Budget Management System An appropriated budget Build in changes and modifications to the approved budget to create an adjusted budget Cash flow projections over the budget period: the in-year cash flow or expenditure plan A system of measuring actual financial performance in relation to the projected plan

Elements of a Cash Management System A system of monitoring performance, identification of variances and reporting results at the appropriate level The capacity for management discussion and analysis of the results and variances A governance mechanisms that would review the results, assess variances and their analysis, determine adjustments needed and make decisions needed to affect those adjustments.

Roles and Responsibilities Senior management must set budgets and program direction Line managers must manage the resources they are given to carry out programs Financial advisors must provide information for decision making to budget setters as well as advice line managers about their budgets Financial advisors must also provide information and analysis to identify variances, offer comparisons and further analysis of budget perform and make recommendations to line managers and senior managers

Roles and Responsibilities Financial advisors must prepare reports for senior mangers to make decisions Line managers must respond to variances against plans with explanations, solutions and alternatives Senior managers must determine what actions to take based on these two sets of inputs.

The In-Year Budget Management Cycle Assess Budget Implications for Next Year Cash Requirements Budget Appropriated Hold Backs/Reserves/ Adjustments Adjusted Budget Plan for Year Adjusted Budget Senior Management Direction: Reallocation Budget Plan for Year Reporting Results: Actual vs Plan: Financial and Operations Senior Management Reporting and Review Management Discussion and Analysis Variance Reports and Analysis

Expenditure Plans of Organization: Budget, Program All financial reporting and in-year decisions begin with a budget allocation to a responsibility centre Difficult to hold a manager accountable if she/he does not know his/her budget

Impediments to establishing a base budget Uncertainty in the financial position Failure of legislative authority to approve appropriations Failure of the department/ministry to distribute the budget to responsibility centres Program change announcements made without budget adjustments

Impediments to establishing a base budget Senior managers withhold authorities pending further changes Dependency on external funding sources, e.g. intergovernmental transfers Multiple sources of program funding within the organization but not within the responsibility centre, e.g. centrally held funds Creation of reserves, hold-backs and only provisional budgeting

Allotment Original Budget - April 1 Salaries 217,600,000 Benefits [1] 43,520,000 Overtime Salary Dollars 4,085,000 Operating and Maintenance 64,766,850 Grants and Contributions[2] 5,600,000 Capital Expenditures [3] 7,500,000 Total 343,071,850   Average FTE Costing 68,000 Total Number of Approved FTEs [4] 3200 [1] Grants and Contributions are a Special Fund and cannot be reallocated to other budgets. [2] Capital Expenditures are a Special Fund and cannot be reallocated with permission from Management Board using a formal submission process. However, some non-recurring salary costs for project management and implementation can be built into the capital budget.

Expenditure Plans of Organization: Budget, Program Budgets for responsibility centers are the result of the budgetary process that is then modified within the organization as funds are distributed Reviewing what is a responsibility centre in an organization: chief defining characteristics.

Allotment DMO Policy Operations Inspection CIO CFO Total   FTE 150 1200 1100 300 3200 Salaries 10,200,000 81,600,000 74,800,000 20,400,000 217,600,000 Allowances 2,040,000 16,320,000 14,960,000 4,080,000 43,520,000 Overtime 250,000 1,000,000 2,335,000 500,000 4085000 O & M 3,000,000 2,000,000 20,000,000 24,000,000 11,000,000 4,766,850 64,766,850 Gs & Cs 3,600,000 5600000 Capital 300,000 2,500,000 200,000 7,500,000 17,740,000 18,390,000 120,920,000 118,095,000 38,480,000 29,446,850 343,071,850 [1] Allowances are automatically distributed in the same way.

Expenditure Plans of Organization: Budget, Program Subject to adjustments and clarifications: In-year program adjustments External charges, e.g. central services Reserves and partial distributions by senior management Objective is to arrive at the Adjusted Budget of the responsibility centre

To Get to an Adjusted Budget Take original budget Apply changes: increases, decreases, etc Allocate to units and total. An adjusted budget is not a projection: it reflects decisions and changes subsequent to the original budget Important to clarify exactly what the budget manager has to work with at the start Budgets can also be adjusted throughout the year as part of the cash management process, as new funds become available (or are removed) or to reflect policy changes.

LINE ITEM BUDGET This fiscal year CHANGES ADJUSTED BUDGET SALARIES 3,500,000 750,000* 4,250,000 OVERTIME 500,000 (100,000)** 400,000 TRAINING 250,000 75,000¹ 325,000 TOTAL STAFF COST 725,000 4,975,000 *Salary adjustments from collective bargaining = 400,000 plus 350,000 from DM’s special youth employment funds ** Departmental target to reduce overtime – your share is 100K ¹Special central agency funding – one year only – for technology training.

Developing a Cash Flow Plan for the Responsibility Centre In-year cash management requires a sense of how funds will flow or be expended Eliminate non-cash accruals Do Not Just Divide by 12!

Developing a Cash Flow Plan for the Responsibility Centre Generally managers are expected to prepare cash flow plans based on: Historical data Their program plans – the implementation side Know commitments Addressing risks Not all funds flow at once – some costs are distributed over the fiscal year, some are spent at one time, some are held in reserve Often capital is on a different cash flow cycle and not included.

Developing a Cash Flow Plan for the Responsibility Centre Such flows are predictable within limitations. e.g. salary dollars Some are less predictable in terms of planning, e.g. overtime, but such unpredictability can be mitigated using historical data Cash flows can be limited by managerial discretion: Spending authority limits, Internal budget restrictions, External restrictions, e.g., salary dollars for salary only Tolerance boundaries.

Developing a Cash Flow Plan for the Responsibility Centre Some items are spent all at once, e.g. transfers or major capital purchases. Are there any other rules of the game set in place by the organization: Informal reserves and hold-backs Reporting frequency Degree of detail Contingency funds – formal and informal Budget conditions Limitations on managerial flexibility End result: Managers Expenditure Plan

Factors to take into account in building a cash flow plan Previous patterns of inflow in past year, e.g. for an NGO: donations tend to peak during major fund-raising events with regularity, major government funding tends to flow two times a year provided the grants is approved in advance Anticipation of any changes that might cause such a flow to alter, e.g. the organization decides that it will change its fund-raising campaign to a different type and a different time, a major donor adjusts some criteria and is reviewing its procedures which may create delays.

Factors to take into account in building a cash flow plan Timing of the maturity of investments or endowments in various funds;. Awareness of the timing of cash requirements to match them up with inflows, e.g. major capital expenses are anticipated for the summer, thereby necessitating a cash outflow demand surge in late summer; this will not help anticipate inflows, but will inform and condition the risks and urgencies around the first two elements.

Expenditure Plans of Organization: budget, program Manager’s Expenditure Plan Financial Performance Reports

The Financial Analysis Process Whenever possible gets comparative data: - for the organization over time, - for the organization's peers, and - for benchmarking organizations (if they exist). Organize the information and complete the analysis. Will compare financial performance to the Manager’s Expenditures Plan – often input into organizational financial system

Analyzing Expenditures Estimating the timing of expenditures is critical for cash flow purposes Dividing the budgeted amount by 12 months is not a good strategy As the fiscal year progresses, analyze projected spending amounts.

Analyzing Expenditures Use the projected budget as a basis for the cash flow Make sure all reductions or increases are accounted for in the cash projection For example, if spending freezes have been enacted, have the anticipated savings been accounted for in the cash flow projection?

Analyzing Expenditures Analyze expenditure patterns Salaries and benefits are usually the largest expenditures Getting the timing right is key to managing cash flow Are there months that have additional payments, costs or less demand? Review the timing of other payments.

Analyzing Expenditures How are materials and supplies purchased? Just- in-time purchasing throughout the year? Ordered in bulk at various points during the fiscal year? Don’t forget about the impact of restricted funds. These can require significant cash outlays at the start of the fiscal year Having an annual purchasing cutoff date helps when closing the books But it also can create a big stack of bills that have to be paid at the same time.

Analyzing Expenditures As cash flexibility decreases, priorities will need to be set in order to determine what gets paid first. Salaries and benefits have specific statutory timelines for payment That leaves vendor payments for providing flexibility. Maximizing the use of the billing cycle will become important. In extreme cases, vendors may need to be asked to accept a delay in payments – depends on contractual obligations. Prepare a contingency plan for cash shortages

Looking for Problem Areas and Identifying Variances: The uses of historical data Why it is important? Developing comparisons year to year Understanding what has changed and what remains the same Developing useful variance reporting based on historical data

Focus on Trend Information and Explaining It “Overall, the value of new construction in the City for the first three months of the year is 28% more than the same time period last year. The overall increase is due to the new RCMP E-Division Headquarters building.” – City of Surry Quarterly Financial Report, May, 2011

An Example of the Use of Historical Data

Sometime historical data in non-monetary

Analyzing Encumbrances and Commitments Key tool in governments to ensure that budgets do not go over approved limits “Financial commitments are obligations to outside organizations or individuals that become liabilities if and when terms of exiting contracts, agreement or legislation are met.” – CICA Will generally not be in your financial reports, but rather in your forward spending plans For cash forecasting, commitments may not be formal entries but rather managerial statements of intention that certain funds will be fully spent for their intended purpose even though they do not appear as either formal commitments in a cash balance sheet or liabilities in an accrual based balance sheet Definition of encumbrance: A contingent liability, contract, purchase order, payroll commitment, tax payable, or legal penalty that is chargeable to an account. It ceases to be an encumbrance when paid-out or when the actual liability amount is determined and recorded as an expense Define commitment: Earmarking or setting-aside of funds in response to a purchase requisition. These funds remain committed (encumbered) until the purchased good or service is paid-for after its receipt, thereby converting the encumbrance into an expenditure. .

Analyzing Encumbrances and Commitments Positive uses: inform management of actual flexibility and spending plans Negative use: protect funds Danger of unspent funds at the end of the year Committed amounts reduce the balance available for expenditure in the remaining portion of the year and must be brought into the calculation of any projection.

Developing a Spending Plan/Forecast Level of detail should reflect need for information, risk, materiality and timeliness, e.g. once a month, once quarterly Managers should be able to project cash flows over the year

Developing a Spending Plan/Forecast Dividing by 12 hardly useful or generally not realistic – forecast should reflect the ebbs and flows of expenditure patterns Block or grant expenditures tends to be all at once

Quality of Forecasting and Data Key to provide financial information derived from current information, known changes and trends and announcement Comparison of data from current year to prior years always useful

Translating and Interpreting Data Usefulness of different perspectives Budget managers Financial advisor Organizational head Corporate financial advisor

Translating and Interpreting Data Role of the challenge function Reporting that makes data relevant to managers and to decision makers: management’s discussion and analysis (MD&As)

Compare and Contrast

Management Discussion and Analysis Should provide basis for discussion and decision making Language should be business-oriented and not excessively detailed

Management Discussion and Analysis Objective and easily readable analysis of financial activities based on currently know facts, decisions or conditions Projections are an essential part of cash forecasting, but should be fact based whenever possible Otherwise projections should be subject to a variety of opinions to test the hypotheses they contain

Questions the Management Report must answer….. Are we going to be within our budget allotments? Are we operating according to our budget plan? How does our performance compare with relevant historical data? Does this performance mean that more funds may be necessary or that some funds may become surplus in this area and available for reallocation? What are the variances and why have they occurred?

Questions the Management Report must answer….. What is the responsibility centre manager going to do about the negative variances? Are positive variances within a retention range for the local manager or are they available for other needs outside the unit but within the organization? Do we have the needs and authorities to reallocate these funds? What does this information tell us about the performance of the manager in this unit? What does this information tell us about the long-term funding?

Reporting and Discussing Risk in Cash Management Need to distinguish between short-term and long- term risk Risk is a key element in determining to change budget allocations either temporarily or permanently

Reporting and Discussing Risk in Cash Management Key risk in cash management is over-expenditure of budget or failure to fully use funds available and needed Other types of risk to consider: Inappropriate use of funds Surges or declines in demand leading to cost over-runs or under-usage Emerging and unanticipated issues: mad cow, SARS, BP Financial reports should not originate the organization’s development of risk but should reflect its overall management process,

Risk of over-expending is sometimes graphic and clear……….

Understanding and Communicating Cash Flow Patterns

Cash Forecast Report Can take many forms: briefing notes, PowerPoint presentation, charts, graphs Should have some predictability in format and language

Cash Forecast Report Some analytical information that is important: Historical comparisons The cost of the variance to date, i.e. how much of the actual budget has been spent The projected variance should nothing change, i.e. the straight line projection The variance in comparison to similar units in the system

Cash Forecast Report Additional components of the report that set managerial context: What caused the gap between expectations and results, e.g. fewer retirements or transfers than required? Workload determinants that changed in actual performance, e.g. inmate population increases and opening of an old unit for an emergency Inefficiencies that remain, e.g. excessive posts. Limitations of the budget itself Actions that could be taken to correct the situation.

Cash Forecast Report Should be a regular submission to the senior management committee of the organization Should move financial information, various background information, etc into the realm of text, ideas and integration

Cash Forecast Report Generally the role of finance to prepare but not the role of finance to address: operational managers, responsibility centre heads, their bosses are key to this

Cash Forecast Report It cannot cover all data – only relevant information: Exceptional performance issues Issues that the senior management wants to keep a close eye on Highly political or contentious issues Separate funds Areas of operational vulnerability or poor performance

Cash Forecast Report Questions to ask about variance: What does the trend look like: is it in the right direction? If so, can we tolerate the slower pace? Is this isolated to this unit or a general phenomenon? Did we set realistic targets? Can we fund the shortfall that we see emerging? Is this manger delivering and, if not, is this enough to force us to take some action like removing him and finding some else. Use a standard question‑based approval template to help ensure transfers are adequately justified and appropriately documented. Matters to address and document before an internal budget transfer is approved include: 1 Is the transfer permissible under the organisation’s funding structure? 2 Has the reason for the transfer been sufficiently justified, for example, is it due to program delays? 3 Is the transfer required to implement a specific government decision or a decision made by the organisation’s executive team? 4 Does the requesting area have sufficient funding to meet its commitments if the transfer is not approved (including from other program activities contributing to the same budget outcome)? 5 Is there sufficient unexpended appropriation at the outcome level (not just at the output or program level) to enable the transfer? 6 Should the funding be re-phased from the area’s forward year appropriation? 7 Have the affected areas adjusted their plans and targets to reflect the impact of the transfer? 8 Does the requesting area have appropriate financial delegations to spend the funds transferred? 9 Will the transfer have a net impact on the organisation’s budget balances, either in the current or future periods? 10 Has the transfer been recommended by an appropriate official?

Cash Forecast Report Should be a consensual document or at least focused on key decisions that CFO wants to receive or see made Should be devoid of surprise for all players Role of the top manager: Deputy or organizational head: steering towards decisions, reconciling differences

Planned Expenditures to date 1,250,000 1,500,000 750,000 Salaries Operating Grants Original Budget 2,000,000 3,500,000 1,000,000 Adjusted Budget 2,225,000 3,000,000 Planned Expenditures to date 1,250,000 1,500,000 750,000 Actual Expenditures 1,110,000 1,800,000 600,000 Variance from Plan 140,000 (300,000) 150,000 Let’s assume we are half way through the year. Now, these variances mean something, but not in an of themselves. This is where the manager comes in to do the projections, corrections, commitment to mend her ways, although the risks here seem fairly mitigatable.

But this is not enough……. Need to project to year-end Need to identify end-of-year overages and underages Or, have to project to balance the budget Similar to the internal budget process, an effective forecasting process is based on: • using the same chart of accounts as budget and actuals reporting to help ensure consistency, although typically a simplified forecasting model would be employed by summarising and reducing the number of items comprising the forecast; • the direct capture of forecasting inputs from operational managers who are closer to operational activities. In this way, operational managers own and are accountable for their forecasts; • an integrated calendar which sequences budgeting, reporting and forecasting activities in a logical fashion; and • rigorous governance processes and control over data to ensure reliability.

Planned Expenditures to date 1,250,000 1,500,000 750,000 Salaries Operating Grants Original Budget 2,000,000 3,500,000 1,000,000 Adjusted Budget 2,225,000 3,000,000 Planned Expenditures to date 1,250,000 1,500,000 750,000 Actual Expenditures 1,110,000 1,800,000 600,000 Variance from Plan 140,000 (300,000) 150,000 Commitments 200,000 Projected Expenditures Year End 2,150,000 3,200,000 900,000 Projected Variance at Year End 75,000 (200,000) 100,000 So, what has happened here. Let’s build one plausible scenario.

Sure Signs that there will be trouble Governance flaws – poor oversight of spending. No managerial review unless there is a problem. Absence of communication with operational front-end of the organization in budgeting and monitoring.. Lack of interagency cooperation.

Sure Signs that there will be trouble Failure to maintain reserves. Insufficient consideration of long-term collective bargaining agreement and human resource policy effects. Flawed multiyear projections. Inaccurate revenue and expenditure estimations.

Sure Signs that there will be trouble No integration of position control with payroll costing. Limited access to timely personnel, payroll, and budget control data and reports. Escalating reliance general fund or reserve encroachment to fund regular programming. Lack of regular monitoring. . Poor cash flow analysis and reconciliation. Failure to recognize year-to-year trends.

Some Solutions for Serious Cash Management Problems Panic!

Some Serious Solutions for Serious Cash Management Problems Prepare your story and a plan: read The Cash Management Games People Play Find ways to slow down spending where there is discretion Review commitments (both formal and informal) to determine flexibility to shut down or slow down Reduce staff where this will work quickly and without further costs, e.g. severance Not filling positions Slowing down staffing Delay orders, put them off until the next period or year

Some Serious Solutions for Serious Cash Management Problems Slow down programs/ eliminate services Beg or borrow from others within the department: avoid mortgaging your future if you can Seek temporary relief from your boss, the organization as a whole Seek out contingency funds, if they exist Examine possible use of non-restricted funds Seek a change in budget if it can be justified

Setting the Rules for Distribution and Redistribution of Surpluses, Carry-Forwards etc Huge tension between protecting your own resources and making a corporate contribution: affects information flow for senior management Important to understand how financial and performance information may be used

Danger in awarding bad management: coming to the rescue is one Setting the Rules for Distribution and Redistribution of Surpluses, Carry-Forwards etc Danger of surprise in rules change – unless subject to extraordinary situations Danger in awarding bad management: coming to the rescue is one thing but doing it several years running simply creates new rules That reward bad behaviour.

Setting the Rules for Distribution and Redistribution of Surpluses, Carry-Forwards etc Example of reporting surpluses that financial analysis does not disclose: is it kept in the responsibility centre or does the organization have a ‘wish list’ or ‘critical needs list’ that distributes available funds to the list with no hold back in the responsibility centre – impacts human behaviour significantly Issue of the use of the carry-forward provisions: is that rolled up corporately and used for other purposes or is it retained within the responsibility centre: has an impact on high level flexibilities

Fin Ende Koniec Final Lopussa Sionunda