Playbook
We are over budget
Spending is ahead of value earned, or the forecast exceeds the budget.
First 24 hours
- Calculate CPI and a forecast at completion.
- Separate one-off events from a pattern.
- Check commitments not yet invoiced.
Then
- Find the cause: estimates, scope, rate or rework.
- Use contingency only for what it was meant to cover.
- Reduce scope or renegotiate.
- Ask for more funding with a revised case, if it’s still worthwhile.
Message you can adapt
At 55% complete we’ve spent 68% of the budget. At the current rate we’ll finish €26k over. Main cause: more rework in integration. Options are attached; I recommend cutting the reporting module.
Avoid
Don’t hope a low CPI will recover by itself. It rarely does.
Tools for this
Last reviewed 2026-11-02 · Practitioner review pending