Public tutorial · 10 minutes · Fictional worked example

Turn monthly results into better management questions

A short variance brief with checked calculations and questions for finance.

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What you need

Use your approved spreadsheet for arithmetic and an approved AI chat tool for a narrative draft. Start with fictional data; no financial-system connection is required.

Walk through it

1. Choose a reporting period and consistent definitions. Confirm actuals and budget cover the same scope.
2. Calculate variances in your spreadsheet, independently of AI.
3. Ask AI to draft the brief using the prompt and only the approved table.
4. Check every number, definition and claim against the source. Ask finance to validate interpretation.
5. Use the brief to discuss causes and decisions. Keep forecasts and unverified explanations clearly labeled.

Practice input

Fictional month, same units and reporting period: revenue budget $100,000, actual $95,000; operating cost budget $70,000, actual $74,000. This simplified example excludes taxes, financing and other accounting items.

Act as a management reporting assistant. Using only this fictional data, calculate actual minus budget and show your arithmetic. Separate facts, hypotheses and unanswered questions. Produce a short leadership brief and three questions for finance. Do not invent causes, forecast future results, or call capacity savings cash savings. Data: [paste approved table]

Check the result

Revenue variance: $95,000 − $100,000 = −$5,000. Cost variance: $74,000 − $70,000 = +$4,000. Simplified revenue less cost: budget $30,000; actual $21,000; variance −$9,000. Causes are unknown.

Why ZTelligence starts here

Our approach connects operating priorities, useful experiments and accountable delivery. This exercise starts with a small task so you can inspect the evidence before extending the workflow. Meet Z.

Use Z Financial Intelligence to explore a more structured planning workflow.