Analyze budget vs actual variances in Excel with drill-down and root cause analysis.
Use when performing variance analysis or explaining budget differences.
Trigger with phrases like 'excel variance', 'analyze budget variance', 'actual vs budget'.
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---
name: excel-variance-analyzer
description: |
Analyze budget vs actual variances in Excel with drill-down and root cause analysis.
Use when performing variance analysis or explaining budget differences.
Trigger with phrases like 'excel variance', 'analyze budget variance', 'actual vs budget'.
allowed-tools: Read, Write, Edit, Grep, Glob, Bash(cmd:*)
version: 1.0.0
author: Jeremy Longshore <jeremy@intentsolutions.io>
license: MIT
---
# Excel Variance Analyzer
## Overview
Performs comprehensive budget vs actual variance analysis with automated drill-down, root cause identification, and executive reporting.
## Prerequisites
- Excel or compatible spreadsheet software
- Budget data by period and category
- Actual results for comparison
- Cost center or department structure
## Instructions
1. Import budget and actual data into comparison template
2. Calculate absolute and percentage variances
3. Apply materiality thresholds for flagging
4. Create drill-down by category, period, or cost center
5. Generate variance waterfall chart for executive reporting
## Output
- Variance summary with favorable/unfavorable indicators
- Materiality-filtered exception report
- Waterfall chart showing budget-to-actual bridge
- Drill-down by category or cost center
## Error Handling
| Error | Cause | Solution |
|-------|-------|----------|
| Missing periods | Data gaps | Fill with zeros or interpolate |
| Percentage calc error | Zero budget | Use IF to handle div/0 |
| Misaligned categories | Changed chart of accounts | Create mapping table |
## Examples
**Example: Monthly P&L Variance**
Request: "Analyze why we missed budget by $500K this month"
Result: Variance waterfall showing revenue shortfall offset by OPEX savings
**Example: Department Budget Review**
Request: "Which departments are over budget YTD?"
Result: Ranked list by variance magnitude with drill-down to line items
## Resources
- [FP&A Best Practices](https://www.fpanda.org/)
- `{baseDir}/references/variance-formulas.md` for calculation templates
