budget-tracker

Budget Tracker

Purpose

Turn event budget data into cash flow clarity and action. Events hemorrhage money in the gap between "we estimated $X" and "we actually spent $Y" — and most teams don't discover the gap until it's too late to adjust.

This skill takes your budget spreadsheet, invoice data, or verbal summary and produces an honest picture of where the money is, where it's going, and what needs attention right now. It covers both sides: spend tracking (are we on budget?) and receivables (have vendors and sponsors actually paid?).

When to Use

• Building or reviewing an event budget before production begins
• Comparing estimated vs. actual spend during or after an event
• Reviewing outstanding vendor invoices and payment timelines
• Identifying budget lines trending over and deciding where to cut
• Drafting payment follow-up messages to clients or sponsors
• Preparing a financial summary for a post-event debrief

When NOT to Use

• Not for contract negotiation or procurement. This skill analyzes budget data and flags variances — it does not negotiate vendor pricing or select vendors.
• Not for payroll or HR expense management. Event budgets cover production costs, not team compensation.
• Not for tax preparation or compliance. This produces operational budget reports, not financial statements for accounting or audit purposes.
• Not for real-time expense approval. This is a periodic analysis tool, not a purchase order approval workflow.

Inputs

Input	Required	Default	Notes
Budget data	Yes	—	Spreadsheet, Sheets link, or verbal summary of estimated vs. actual spend
Event context	Yes	—	Event name, dates, scale (attendee count), venue type
Invoice data	No	—	Outstanding invoices with amounts, ages, and vendor/client names
Payment history	No	—	Past payment behavior for key accounts — helps set follow-up tone
Event timeline position	No	—	Pre-event / during / post-event — affects which thresholds apply

Quick Reference

Event Budget Categories

Category	Typical Line Items
Venue	Rental, F&B minimum, AV in-house surcharge
Production	AV vendor, staging, lighting, signage
Catering	Per-head cost, bar package, service charge, gratuity
Marketing	Print collateral, digital ads, social media, PR
Travel	Speaker travel, team travel, ground transport
Speakers	Honoraria, green room, speaker gifts
Staffing	Registration desk, security, ushers
Decor	Florals, linens, furniture rental
Contingency	Standard 10-15% of total budget

Variance Alert Thresholds

Category	Alert At	Why
Venue	5% over	Largest single line item — small % = big dollars
Catering	10% over	Per-head counts fluctuate; some variance is normal
Marketing	15% over	Most flexible category; note but don't panic
Contingency	0% drawn	Should not be touched before T-14 days to event
All others	10% over	Default threshold for flagging

Invoice Aging Buckets

Age	Status	Action
Current	Within terms	No action needed
1-30 days overdue	Nudge	Friendly reminder — assume oversight
31-60 days overdue	Firm request	Direct ask with specific date and amount
60+ days overdue	Escalation	Escalate to account lead; consider late fee or hold

Payment Risk Signals

Signal	Level	Meaning
First late payment	Incident	Note it, send a nudge, don't overreact
Second late payment	Pattern	Flag the account, shorten terms on next invoice
Third late payment	Risk	Requires proactive management — deposit requirements, payment plans

Workflow by Task

Task 1: Budget Overview

1. Receive budget data — spreadsheet, Sheets link, or verbal summary.
2. Organize into the standard event budget categories (see Quick Reference).
3. For each category, list: estimated amount, actual spend to date, remaining balance.
4. Calculate total budget, total spent, total remaining, and overall % consumed.
5. Flag any category where actual spend exceeds the estimate.
6. If pre-event: project final spend based on current run rate and known upcoming costs.
7. Present the budget summary dashboard (see Output Format).

Task 2: Variance Analysis

1. For each budget category, calculate: variance amount (actual - estimated) and variance % ((actual - estimated) / estimated).
2. Apply the category-specific alert thresholds (see Quick Reference).
3. For every variance that triggers an alert:
   • Name the category and the dollar amount over/under.
   • Diagnose the likely cause: scope change, vendor price increase, underestimate, late addition, weather/force majeure.
   • Recommend a specific corrective action: renegotiate, cut from another line, draw contingency (only if T-14 or closer).
4. Rank variances by dollar impact, not percentage — a 20% variance on a $500 line matters less than a 6% variance on a $50,000 line.
5. If contingency has been drawn: flag it prominently and state what triggered the draw.

Task 3: Invoice Aging Review

1. Receive invoice data — outstanding invoices with amounts, ages, and account names.
2. Sort into aging buckets: Current, 1-30 days, 31-60 days, 60+ days.
3. For each overdue invoice, assess payment risk level based on:
   • How many times this account has been late (incident / pattern / risk).
   • Relationship length — a long-term partner gets more grace than a new vendor.
   • Invoice amount relative to total receivables — prioritize large outstanding amounts.
4. Calculate total outstanding by aging bucket.
5. Identify which invoices, if collected, would most improve near-term cash position.
6. Flag any cash flow gaps: periods where outgoing expenses are due before expected incoming payments.
7. Remember: revenue on paper is not cash in the door. Prioritize actual payments over booked revenue.

Task 4: Follow-Up Draft Generation

1. For each overdue invoice requiring follow-up, determine the appropriate tone:
   • 1-30 days, first occurrence: Warm nudge. "Just a quick note — invoice #X for $Y was due on [date]. Wanted to make sure it didn't slip through the cracks."
   • 1-30 days, repeat occurrence: Polite but direct. "Following up on invoice #X. This is the second time payment has extended past terms — can we get this resolved this week?"
   • 31-60 days: Firm request. State the amount, the original due date, and request a specific payment date. No apology for asking.
   • 60+ days: Escalation. Reference prior attempts, state the total outstanding, and name the next step if unresolved (late fee, hold on future work, account review).
2. Match tone to relationship length:
   • 3+ year client with first late payment: warm, assume good faith.
   • New client with a pattern: firm, protect your position.
3. Each follow-up message should include: invoice number, amount, original due date, and a clear ask (specific payment date or next step).
4. Set a follow-up cadence: when to send each message and what changes if there is no response.

Output Format

Budget Summary Dashboard

**Event:** [Event Name]
**Date:** [Event Date]
**Total Budget:** $[amount]  |  **Spent:** $[amount] ([%])  |  **Remaining:** $[amount]

⚠ [Number] categories flagged for variance alerts

Budget by Category

Category	Estimated	Actual	Variance	Var %	Status
Venue	$X	$X	+/- $X	X%	OK / Alert / Over
Production	$X	$X	+/- $X	X%	OK / Alert / Over
Catering	$X	$X	+/- $X	X%	OK / Alert / Over
Marketing	$X	$X	+/- $X	X%	OK / Alert / Over
Travel	$X	$X	+/- $X	X%	OK / Alert / Over
Speakers	$X	$X	+/- $X	X%	OK / Alert / Over
Staffing	$X	$X	+/- $X	X%	OK / Alert / Over
Decor	$X	$X	+/- $X	X%	OK / Alert / Over
Contingency	$X	$X	+/- $X	X%	OK / Drawn

Invoice Aging

Account	Invoice #	Amount	Age	Risk	Recommended Action
[Name]	[#]	$[X]	[days]	Low/Med/High	[Action]

Action Items

1. [Specific action — what, who, by when]
2. [Specific action]
3. [Specific action]

Principles

1. Revenue on paper is not cash in the door. Every recommendation should prioritize actual cash received, not booked revenue or signed contracts. A $50K sponsorship means nothing if the invoice is 60 days overdue.

2. Rank by dollars, not percentages. A 6% overage on Venue ($3,000 on a $50K line) matters more than a 25% overage on speaker gifts ($250 on a $1,000 line). Always sort variances by dollar impact first.

3. Tone matches the relationship. A first late invoice from a 3-year client gets a warm nudge. A third late invoice from a new client gets a firm request. The relationship context changes everything — never apply the same follow-up template to every account.

4. Flag patterns early. One late payment is an incident. Two is a pattern. Three is a risk. Don't wait until 60+ days overdue to escalate — flag at two late payments, not three.

5. Contingency is not a slush fund. The 10-15% contingency exists for genuine surprises, not for scope creep or poor estimates. NEVER draw contingency budget before T-14 without explicit approval.

6. Don't bury the lead. ALWAYS lead with the cash flow headline — if there's a gap in 14 days, say it first. Not buried in a table on page three.

What to Avoid

1. Presenting data tables without a headline. If there is a budget problem, name it before showing the numbers. "Catering is $12K over due to a 15% jump in per-head cost" — then show the table.

2. Applying the same follow-up tone to every overdue account. A warm nudge to a chronically late new client is weak. A stern warning to a loyal long-term partner is damaging. Match tone to context.

3. Treating booked revenue as available cash. Sponsorship commitments, pending invoices, and verbal confirmations are not money you can spend. Base cash flow recommendations on what has actually been received.

4. Ignoring small variances that compound. Five categories each 8% over budget adds up to a significant total overage. Review cumulative impact, not just individual lines.

5. Drawing contingency for predictable costs. If catering always runs 10% over the estimate, that is not a contingency draw — that is a bad estimate. Fix the estimate for next time.

6. Producing a variance report without diagnosing causes. MUST diagnose the likely cause of every variance, not just report the number. "Venue is 7% over" is an observation. "Venue is 7% over because the client added a second breakout room at T-21" is useful. Always explain why.

Examples

Variance Diagnosis

BAD: "Venue is 7% over budget."

GOOD: "Venue is 7% over budget ($4,200 overage) — driven by the client adding a second breakout room after contract signing. This was a scope change, not a cost overrun."

Follow-Up Tone

BAD: "Your invoice is overdue. Please remit payment immediately."

GOOD: "Quick note — Invoice #4821 ($8,500, due March 15) is now 12 days past terms. Can your AP team confirm it's in queue? Happy to resend if needed."

Tool Integration

Composio Tools (Primary)

Tool	Action	Purpose	Safety Tier
Sheets — read	GOOGLESHEETS_BATCH_GET	Load budget tracker or invoice data	T1 Read
Sheets — update	GOOGLESHEETS_BATCH_UPDATE	Log new actuals or invoice status updates	T2 Write
Drive — find	GOOGLEDRIVE_LIST_FILES	Find budget files across drives	T1 Read
Gmail — draft	GMAIL_CREATE_EMAIL_DRAFT	Save payment follow-up as draft	T2 Write
Gmail — send	GMAIL_SEND_DRAFT	Send follow-up after approval	T3 Dangerous

Scripts

Script	Command	Purpose
variance_analyzer.py	python skills/budget-tracker/scripts/variance_analyzer.py --event "..." --spreadsheet ID	Budget variance analysis with category-aware thresholds and invoice aging

Composio Notes

Currency and Number Formatting

When reading budget data from Sheets via GOOGLESHEETS_BATCH_GET, amounts come as raw numbers without currency formatting. Always confirm the currency (USD, KRW, EUR) with the user before presenting financial summaries.

Audit Trail

When updating budget actuals, prefer appending new rows over overwriting existing data. This preserves the audit trail.