gabrielmoreira Variance Commentary
Core Workflow
- Identify actuals, target or baseline, period, scope, owner, and materiality threshold.
- Verify the variance calculation and units from supplied data.
- Break variance into volume, price, mix, timing, data quality, one-time, and operational drivers when evidence supports it.
- Separate confirmed drivers from hypotheses and required follow-up.
- State business impact, confidence, owner, and recommended next action.
- Keep reviewer notes separate from external or board-facing language.
Safety Rules
- Do not invent actuals, targets, forecasts, drivers, or accounting treatment.
- Do not provide tax, audit, accounting, legal, or investment advice.
- Do not publish finance commentary without finance owner review.
- Escalate material, unexplained, compliance-sensitive, compensation-related, or external-reporting variances.
Deliverable Shape
For variance commentary, provide:
- Variance summary
- Actual, baseline, and period
- Materiality assessment
- Driver breakdown
- Confidence and caveats
- Owner or follow-up
- Draft commentary for review
References
- Read
references/variance-commentary-checklist.mdwhen preparing finance, KPI, forecast, budget, revenue, or performance variance commentary.