Budget management is an established financial process in many organizations for planning, monitoring and tracking income and expenditure. Companies usually plan budgets for individual departments, planned projects or as an overall budget for the company. Responsibility for adhering to the planned budgets usually lies in the hands of the respective managers.
However, the quality of planning and the effectiveness and efficiency of budget management can vary greatly and, depending on how the budget is determined, can lead to an increased willingness to spend.
Solina Foundation - modern, digital, human
The Solina Foundation is a non-profit sponsorship of the Solina Spiez and Solina Steffisburg operations. It provides the infrastructure and resources to offer housing, care and support to people of all ages. This year, the foundation is once again one of the best employers in its size category.
The fact that the foundation regularly receives top marks as an employer is certainly also due to the modern corporate culture and the digital maturity of the organization. Even the budget management process has been supported digitally and with a collaborative, decentralized approach for several years.
Budget management: centralized vs. decentralized
In many organizations, budget management is a centrally controlled process of the finance department, which often causes considerable coordination efforts. This includes collecting planning data and creating, filling and consolidating numerous Excel files - often across several coordination loops.
Solina deliberately chose a collaborative approach that involves the cost center managers directly and easily in the decision-making process as early as the planning phase.
With the help of an online app (Power Platform), Solina provides cost center managers with a budget proposal that is derived from previous years' data and takes into account the trend of the last six months of bookings.
On this basis, the cost center managers can make adjustments to cost centers and cost types and provide them with appropriate justifications.
Once planning has been completed, each responsible person can "close" their cost center and forward it to their superior for review. Consolidation takes place step by step at the level of departments, divisions and even the company as a whole.
Analytical reports (Power BI) are available throughout the entire process, which enable an evaluation from different perspectives and support the preparation for approval by the Board of Trustees.
Digital and agile
As specialists in the design and implementation of digital organizations and processes, we also support our clients in the introduction of agile working methods. At Solina, we were also able to structure various subject areas in requirements management using backlogs and implement them efficiently with the help of sprints.
However, strategic clarity and a realistic understanding of organizational effects and the inertia of change processes (change management) are essential prerequisites before the start of concrete digitalization projects.
At the Solina Foundation, we were able to develop the first "big picture" strategy document back in 2016. Since then, we have provided continuous support to the organization and also assist with the management of suppliers and projects.
More interesting power platform and analytics projects
- Market Survey Solution
- Analytical transparency at the Federal Office for Youth and Family Affairs
- Digital consultant profiles
- Various other projects