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Budgeting and Costing in Project Management - Introduction

By: pmhut.com

Preparing a budget is an integral part of establishing the business case for a project. An evaluation of the financial requirements is central to establishing whether the project is viable or not. In cases where external funding is being applied for, the budget will form an important element of the bid and the Benefits Model. At the most fundamental level, budgeting should answer the questions, What is the cost of undertaking this project? Is any external funding sufficient to cover the costs? Where there is competition for resources, is this project a priority? To what degree do cost and benefit balance up?
As with any forecast or plan, the budget is likely to change as activities unfold. It is therefore useful to undertake a sensitivity analysis to look to what likely impact any change in costs and income may have on the overall budget and assess whether the project is high or low risk in financial terms. This will normally be covered during the risk assessment/risk management process and will inform the broader cost-benefit analysis for the project……..[read entire story]