9.13 Conclusion

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What I have tried to do in this chapter is present valuable insight and guidelines regarding the budget process without getting overly didactic. As a consulting project manager who has worked in some of the biggest American corporations or governmental agencies, I can honestly state that the way money is handled, speaking both culturally as well as procedurally, is one of the most significant differences I see among clients. My personal experience ranges from being in total control of every penny, to having little responsibility other than for negative variances that eventually show up in the old "budget versus actual" column. So, although some of my advice and comments may not hold true in your circumstances, I urge you at the very least to understand how much money you have and how things are going in that regard. It is like eyeballing the gas gauge as your car approaches that long stretch of highway where no gas stations are likely to be found. If you ever ran out of gas, or project money, I am quite certain you understand what I am saying.

Here is one last statement about budgets. Sometimes, a few layers above you, a decision is made to extract dollars from your budget to supplement a shortfall elsewhere in that executive's realm. This has happened to me a couple of times, and without warning, of course. Therefore, it pays to comprehend where you stand because in the project world, money, as they say, is everything.

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