Budget Management

Overview

The comprehensive budget management system enables organizations to plan, allocate, and track vehicle inventories across multiple dimensions. From annual planning cycles to monthly dealer allocations, the system provides the tools needed to optimize vehicle distribution and monitor performance against targets.

How It Works

Budget Structure

Vehicle budgets operate on annual cycles with monthly granularity, tracking planned quantities across multiple categorization dimensions:

graph TB
    subgraph "Budget Hierarchy"
        Annual[Annual Budget]
        Model[By Model]
        Monthly[Monthly Breakdown]
        Attributes[Custom Attributes]
    end
    
    subgraph "Distribution"
        Master[Master Budget]
        Dealer[Dealer Allocation]
        Adjust[Dealer Adjustments]
    end
    
    Annual --> Model
    Model --> Monthly
    Monthly --> Attributes
    
    Master --> Dealer
    Dealer --> Adjust

Budget Types

The system supports four budget channels following the IC/IV/OC/OV model:

• IC: Incoming Claimant vehicles
• IV: Incoming Vendor vehicles
• OC: Outgoing Claimant vehicles
• OV: Outgoing Vendor vehicles

Key Features

Budget Planning

• Annual budget creation by model
• Monthly allocation across 12 months
• Six configurable attributes for categorization
• Version control for budget iterations
• Final version locking

Dealer Distribution

• Allocate master budgets to dealers
• Percentage or unit-based distribution
• Monthly distribution planning
• Automatic variance calculation
• Distribution status tracking

Dealer Adjustments

• Dealers request allocation changes
• Constraint validation against limits
• Audit trail of all adjustments
• Future workflow approval support
• Historical adjustment tracking

Budget Analytics

• Real-time allocation status
• Variance analysis and reporting
• Dealer performance tracking
• Model-level aggregations
• Trend analysis over time

Status Indicators

The system automatically calculates allocation status:

• Not Allocated: No dealer assignments made
• Under Allocated: Partial distribution completed
• Fully Allocated: Complete distribution achieved
• Over Allocated: Exceeds budget limits

Configuration

Attribute Configuration

Define up to six custom attributes:

1. Color variants
2. Equipment levels
3. Regional specifications
4. Customer segments
5. Sales channels
6. Special editions

Calendar Configuration

• Configurable budget year start
• Custom month definitions
• Cutoff date management
• Planning horizon settings

Benefits

• Optimized Distribution: Ensure vehicles go where demand exists
• Dealer Empowerment: Allow dealers to influence allocations
• Performance Tracking: Monitor actual vs planned performance
• Flexibility: Adapt to changing market conditions
• Transparency: Clear visibility for all stakeholders

Use Cases

Annual Planning

Setting yearly targets based on:

• Historical sales data
• Market analysis
• Production capacity
• Strategic objectives

Monthly Operations

Managing monthly flow:

• Production scheduling alignment
• Seasonal adjustment handling
• Promotion planning
• Inventory balancing

Dealer Management

Supporting dealer network:

• Fair allocation processes
• Performance-based adjustments
• Special request handling
• Regional balancing

Analytics Views

Budget vs Allocation

Compare planned budgets against actual allocations:

• Variance percentages
• Gap identification
• Trend analysis
• Predictive insights

Dealer Performance

Track dealer-specific metrics:

• Allocation utilization
• Sales achievement
• Adjustment patterns
• Historical performance

Related Features

• Core Vehicle Records
• Vehicle Configuration