Track a team's budget so surprises die young — the commitment-based view (spent + committed + planned, not just invoiced), the category grain that matches how the team actually spends, the monthly close with its one-sentence read, and the forecast honesty for the year-end question. Use when asked track my team's budget, are we going to blow the budget, why did finance's number surprise us, or set up budget visibility for the team. Produces the three-lane tracker (spent/committed/planned), the monthly close ritual, the variance signals, and the year-end forecast method.
▸The budget and its shape — the number, its categories (matched to how finance reports back — reconciliation dies across mismatched taxonomies), and what's in/out (headcount usually tracked separately — confirm)
▸The current commitments, hunted — the signed-not-billed contracts, the annual licenses ([the renewal inventory](../contract-renewal-tracker/SKILL.md) supplies these), the accepted quotes, the outstanding offers; the first tracker build is mostly this archaeology
▸The spend flow — who can commit money (everyone who can sign is a tracker input source), and where invoices land
▸Finance's rhythm — when actuals arrive, in what format; the close reconciles against them monthly
✅ 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.
✓True remaining subtracts commitments, not just spend
✓Every signature/PO/offer has a same-day tracker row with its billing schedule
✓The close reconciles against finance's actuals monthly, mismatches chased
✓Signals watch spent+committed trajectory, not invoiced-only
✓The forecast carries its band and bad news ships early
⚠️ What it refuses to do
Do not track invoices and call it a budget — commitments are where surprises live
Do not let signers bypass intake — everyone who can commit money is a tracker source or a leak
Do not skip the finance reconcile — two diverging truths get discovered in the worst meeting
Do not subtract planned spend from remaining — intentions aren't obligations; the lanes exist to keep them distinct
Do not sit on an over forecast — November's honesty is just an apology with a spreadsheet
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-mcp