budget-variance-analysis
Produce a structured budget variance analysis from actual vs budget figures. Use when asked to analyse budget variances, explain underspend or overspend, write a variance commentary, or investigate why actuals differ from plan. Produces a categorised variance table with root cause analysis and management commentary.
npx skills add mohitagw15856/pm-claude-skills --skill budget-variance-analysis --agent claude-code
Same command for any agent — swap --agent for codex, cursor, copilot.
Weekly change comes from our own snapshots, not the repository page — it measures attention, not adoption.
# Budget Variance Analysis Skill Produces a complete variance analysis from numbers through to root cause explanation and management commentary. ## Required Inputs - **Actuals and budget figures** (paste as table or describe line by line) - **Period** (month / quarter / YTD) - **Materiality threshold** (e.g. £10k or 5%) - **Known reasons for variances** (if any) - **Audience** (CFO / board / management / auditor) ## Output Structure ### 1. Variance Summary Table | Line Item | Budget | Actual | Variance £ | Variance % | F/A | |---|---|---|---|---|---| | Revenue | | | | | | | Cost of Sales | | | | | | | Gross Profit | | | | | | | Opex | | | | | | | EBITDA | | | | | | F = Favourable | A = Adverse ### 2. Material Variance Commentary For each variance above threshold: **[Line item] — £[amount] F/A ([%])** - **Root cause:** [Specific explanation — not "timing" without detail] - **Permanent or timing?** Will this reverse next period? - **Management action:** What is being done - **Forecast impact:** Does this change full-year outlook? ### 3. Top 3 Variances Requiring Attention Ranked by materiality and strategic significance. ### 4. Forecast Revision Does the full-year forecast need updat
- Required Inputs
- Output Structure
- 1. Variance Summary Table
- 2. Material Variance Commentary
- 3. Top 3 Variances Requiring Attention
- 4. Forecast Revision
- 5. Executive Summary
- Quality Checks
- Anti-Patterns
- Example Trigger Phrases
What does the budget-variance-analysis skill do?
Produce a structured budget variance analysis from actual vs budget figures. Use when asked to analyse budget variances, explain underspend or overspend, write a variance commentary, or investigate why actuals differ from plan. Produces a categorised variance table with root cause analysis and management commentary.
How do I install it?
Run `npx skills add mohitagw15856/pm-claude-skills --skill budget-variance-analysis --agent claude-code` — it drops the skill into your project so the agent can pick it up. Swap the --agent value for codex, cursor or copilot if you use one of those.
Where does this skill come from?
From mohitagw15856/pm-claude-skills, a repository with 1,255 stars. We read it straight from the repository tree rather than a submitted listing, so what you see here is what is actually published.
Is a popular skill a good skill?
Not necessarily. Stars measure attention, not adoption — a repository can trend for a week and be abandoned. That is why we show the weekly change from our own snapshots next to the total, instead of a single flattering number.