Budget vs Actual Tracker

Set up a budget tracking spreadsheet

🧪 Tested by a human Intermediate 👤 Finance 👤 Manager
Set up a budget tracker with monthly columns for budget and actual, auto-calculated variance, conditional formatting, YTD totals, forecast, and dashboard summary.

Works on

⭐ M365 Copilot (Best) 🟢 ChatGPT 🟠 Claude

Copy & Open in

🟢 ChatGPT 🟠 Claude

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Tips for Best Results

  • Try this prompt in M365 Copilot for best results with your work data
  • Customise the variables in square brackets with your specific details
  • Use the Prompt Polisher tool to refine and improve this prompt further

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Build a Complex Formula

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Create a formula that [DESCRIBE WHAT YOU NEED — e.g., calculates the priority score based on severity (High=3, Medium=2, Low=1) multiplied by the number of days open, then sorts into Critical/High/Medium/Low tiers]. Explain how the formula works step by step so I can modify it later.
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Create an Insightful Chart

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Create a chart that best shows [WHAT YOU WANT TO VISUALISE — trends over time / comparison between categories / distribution of values] from this data. Choose the most appropriate chart type. Add clear labels, a title, and a legend. Then explain in one sentence what the chart tells us.
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Create an SLA Overdue Formula

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Create a formula for this table that flags rows where the [DEADLINE COLUMN] has passed and the [STATUS COLUMN] is not "Completed". Show "Overdue" in a new column. Then add conditional formatting to highlight overdue rows in red and items due within 3 days in amber.
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