Projektbudgeten

Projektbudgeten, or the project budget, is the approved financial plan for a project. It aggregates all estimated costs required to deliver the agreed scope within the allotted time and resources, and it serves as the baseline for cost control and decision making.

A project budget typically includes direct costs such as labor and materials, indirect costs such as overhead, procurement and external services, contingency for known risks, and a management reserve for unforeseen events. It may distinguish capital vs operating expenditures and fixed vs variable costs.

Developing the budget involves scope confirmation, estimation techniques, and resource planning. Estimation methods include analogous, parametric, and bottom-up approaches. The budget is usually created during planning and approved by sponsors or governance bodies before work begins.

Once approved, the budget provides the baseline for monitoring and reporting. Changes require formal change control; updates reflect revised forecasts and re-baselining when necessary.

During execution, actual costs are tracked against the budget, with variance analysis to identify overruns and drivers. Earned value management (EVM) is used on larger programs to measure performance relative to scope, schedule, and cost.

Common budget types include capital budgets for long-term assets and operating budgets for ongoing activities. The budget covers the project life cycle and may be refined as risks are clarified or assumptions change.

Best practices include clearly defined scope and assumptions, regular forecast updates, risk-based contingency planning, stakeholder alignment, and integration with the schedule and risk management processes.