BV
Budget Variance Analysis
🔵 Stable🕐 updated 2026-06-08
🔷 SkillSpec L3
pm-finance
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.
🗣 Say this to your agent
“Write a variance analysis for these actuals vs budget: [paste]”“Explain why we are over budget on [cost line]”“Write the variance commentary for our finance review”“Produce a budget vs actual analysis for Q[N]”
What to give it
▸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
✅ The bar it holds itself to
Every skill in this library self-verifies — these are this skill's own quality checks, straight from its definition.
✓All variances above threshold explained
✓Root causes specific (not vague)
✓Favourable/Adverse correctly labelled
✓Forecast impact stated for material variances
⚠️ What it refuses to do
Do not explain a variance as "timing" without specifying which period it will reverse into and what amount is expected
Do not label a favourable variance on a cost line without checking whether it is due to underspend, delayed spend, or reduced activity — the cause determines whether it is genuinely good news
Do not omit variances below the materiality threshold entirely — note them collectively so the reader knows they exist and were reviewed
Do not present a variance analysis without a forecast impact statement for material items — historical variances without forward implications are incomplete
Install
npx pm-claude-skills add --agent claude # or codex · cursor · gemini · hermes
# or one-line MCP (every skill, any client):
claude mcp add pm-skills -- npx -y pm-claude-skills-mcpStart with
Related skills
🔌 Embed this skill
Drop this on your blog, docs, or site — it renders a "Run this skill" card:
<div data-pm-skill="budget-variance-analysis"></div>
<script src="https://mohitagw15856.github.io/pm-claude-skills/embed.js" async></script>💬 Discussion
Budget Variance Analysis is one of 1078 open-source professional AI agent skills — all SkillSpec L3.
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