In Naarvin, the budget is built from drivers by company and team, submitted and approved company by company, and locked. A rolling forecast then rolls forward each month from closed actuals, so you always know where the year will land. Variances are traced to the lines behind them, and scenarios show what happens if prices, costs or hiring change.
Why do budgets go stale so quickly?
Most budgets are a large workbook built once a year. Each department sends its sheet, someone consolidates them, the board approves a version, and by the second quarter it no longer describes the business. The forecast that should replace it is a copy of the same workbook with actuals pasted in by hand.
- Assumptions are buried in formulas nobody else can follow.
- Department heads email versions back and forth, and the final one is unclear.
- Actuals are pasted in monthly and the links break.
- Currency and intercompany effects distort the comparison.
- Nobody can answer "what if" without rebuilding the model.
How do budgeting and forecasting run with Naarvin?
- Start from your actualsEach company's history comes from the ledgers, so the baseline reflects what really happened, month by month.
- Set the driversGrowth, prices, headcount and costs are set as drivers by company and team, with each assumption logged. Hiring plans and capital spending sit in the same model.
- Run the budget cycleEach company's budget moves from draft to submitted to approved to locked, with an approval request per company. A locked budget refuses changes.
- Roll the forecastA rolling forecast of 12 to 36 months moves forward each month. Closed months are kept, so forecast accuracy can be measured.
- Explain the varianceBudget against actual for the same companies, traced to the accounts and lines that moved.
- Test scenariosChange prices, costs or hiring and compare the scenario with the plan, including the three statements and cash.
What does Naarvin prepare, and what does your team decide?
| Step | Naarvin | Your team |
|---|---|---|
| Baseline | Monthly history and trend for each company | Decides what to carry forward |
| Drivers | A log of every assumption and its effect | Sets and owns the assumptions |
| Approval | One approval request per company | Approves, returns or locks |
| Forecast | A rolling forecast that moves with each close | Reviews where the year lands |
| Commentary | A draft explanation of the variance | Edits and approves it |
Can the team keep working in Excel?
Yes. A plan can be exported to Excel and imported back. The import shows a preview first, and a changed import reopens a submitted budget so the change goes through approval again. Excel stays where people like it, and the version of record stays in one place.
What do you need to start?
- At least a year of history in your accounting system, connected or imported.
- Your planning structure: companies, teams or cost centres, and who owns each budget.
- Last year's budget, if you want to start from its assumptions.
- Your approval route for budgets.
Who is this for?
Finance teams that budget for several companies or departments, CFOs who want a forecast that moves every month rather than once a quarter, and boards that ask "what if". A small business with a simple annual target may not need a planning workflow.
Questions people ask
Is the budget used as the forecast?
No. The budget is what you agreed; the forecast is where the year will land. The rolling forecast is the forecast of record, and the budget stays as the comparison.
Can each company have its own budget approver?
Yes. Each company's budget goes through its own approval request, and each person approves only the companies they are responsible for.
Can we plan headcount and capital spending?
Yes. Hiring plans and capital projects sit in the same model and flow into the income statement, balance sheet and cash.
Does the AI decide our assumptions?
No. Assumptions are yours. Naarvin can turn a sentence into proposed drivers, but every number must come from you, and you accept or reject the proposal.