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Despite years of effort, most utilities
still do not have an effective budget process. Each of the previous budgeting
approaches heralded to be the final answer (e.g., Activity Based Budgeting,
Performance Budgeting, etc.) not only failed to live up to the hype, but in
many cases made the process worse. The result for most utilities is a fragmented
set of processes and technology that are poorly executed by both the corporate
budgeting staff and the business units.
The Right Budgeting Solution
MCR works with our clients to alleviate the pain associated with Budgeting.
We understand the details of your businesses and how you do budgeting; we will
provide you with options for high-value budgeting solutions to meet your unique
situation and needs. We use the following approach to improve both the budgeting
process and budget systems.
Budgeting Process Improvement
The key to developing an effective budget process is to understand in detail
the needs of both the corporate budgeting group and the business units. Too
often the process is designed at the corporate level, leaving business units
"free" to implement any approach they desire. MCR has extensive experience
working with business units and understands the budgeting process from their
perspective.
Budgeting Solution Improvement
While some budget systems do an acceptable job from the corporate perspective,
they present huge challenges for business units. Most systems do not fit with
the way business units view their costs. MCR's understanding of the needs of
both organizations results in the development of business requirements for budgeting
systems that make sense. This business requirements report focuses on budgeting,
reporting and/or project prioritization. We assess your needs at multiple levels,
including corporate, business unit and department. We use our experience in
improving budget systems to ask the right questions and provide you with a comprehensive
blueprint allowing you to select and implement a budgeting solution that fits
your needs.
MCR focuses first on determining the right technology to meet the specific
business requirements of our clients. In some cases, off-the-shelf solutions
(sometimes with selected customizations) are the right choice when combined
with the right involvement of business units in the selection process.
In other cases a customized solution is the right approach. MCR's Technical
Services team can develop a budgeting solution to meet your exact needs. We
will use the business requirements specification as a blueprint to build a unique
solution that will match a new budgeting system to your budgeting process. The
new system will enhance the budgeting process and fulfill your budget cycle
in less time and with better accuracy. We will work with you to ensure your
needs are addressed.
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