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AI agent for financial analysts

Budget Variance Commentary Agent

Clear, checked variance commentary for every material line

Budgets and moneyAnalysisReportingFinanceManagementHealthcareOperations
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Budget Variance Commentary Agent: what goes in, what the agent does and what you get

What it does

After close, finance teams chase budget owners for explanations, and the answers are often vague or do not add up. This agent compares actuals to budget and forecast for each department and account. It picks the variances above the threshold, drills into transactions to find likely drivers such as timing, volume, price or a one-off item, and sends a question to each budget owner with the evidence. It reads the answers and checks them against the numbers. If an answer does not explain the full gap, it asks a specific follow-up. Timing items get a note on when they will reverse. It then writes the commentary for the monthly pack. The finance leader approves the final text. Edge case: an accrual reversed from last month makes a variance look large, so the agent nets the two months before asking anyone.

How it works

Follow the arrows from top to bottom. The orange dashed arrow is the loop: when a check fails, the agent goes back and tries again.

Start and resultWhat it doesA check on its own workWaits for your OKGoes back and retries
Yes, continueApprovedNo 1 STARTS WHEN Month close is final 2 USES A TOOL Compare actuals to budget and forecast 3 DOES Pick material variances and drill into transactions 4 USES A TOOL Send owner questions with evidence 5 CHECKS THE RESULT Does each answer explain the full amount? If not: send a follow-up question with the unexplainedremainder. Back to step 4. 6 DOES Draft commentary for the pack 7 YOU APPROVE Finance leader approves commentary 8 RESULT Commentary added to monthly report
Read the steps as a list
  1. Month close is final
  2. Compare actuals to budget and forecast
  3. Pick material variances and drill into transactions
  4. Send owner questions with evidence
  5. Does each answer explain the full amount?If not: send a follow-up question with the unexplained remainder. Back to step 4.
  6. Draft commentary for the pack
  7. Finance leader approves commentaryThe agent waits here for your OK.
  8. Commentary added to monthly report

How it decides

It selects variances by size and percent, then tests each owner explanation against the transaction detail.

  • Variance over $25,000 and 5%: needs commentary
  • Timing items: note expected month of reversal
  • Unexplained over 20% of the gap: follow up

Make it yours

Every agent is a starting point. You choose these settings for your own situation.

  • Variance thresholds in amount and percent
  • Departments in scope
  • Owner reply deadline
  • Commentary style and length

What keeps you in control

It always asks you first

  • Sending questions to budget owners
  • Final commentary

Hard limits

  • Never changes budget figures
  • Never publishes commentary without approval

It stops when

  • Done: all material lines explained
  • Stop: close not final

Set it up

We guide you through the set-up, step by step

Members get the full set-up guide for this agent. No technical skills needed: you copy, paste and upload.

10 minto set it up in your AI
5 AIsChatGPT, Claude, Copilot, Gemini, Grok
  • One set of instructions to paste into your AI, with the clicks for ChatGPT, Claude, Microsoft 365 Copilot, Gemini and Grok
  • The agent then walks you through connecting your own data, one source at a time
  • A downloadable copy with the flow chart, the rules and the full guide
Get access to this agent

An example run

What happensIn the June close, Marketing was $120,000 over budget. The owner said it was the June trade event. The agent found the event cost $70,000, leaving $50,000 unexplained, so the check failed. It asked a follow-up with the vendor list attached and learned of an agency retainer paid three months early. With that, the full gap was explained, and the VP of Finance approved the commentary.

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