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Budgeting & Forecasting › The Master Budget

How do you build a master budget model that recalculates automatically?

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Answer

Link the budgets with formulas and shared assumptions/drivers so a change in one input (e.g., sales volume) flows through production, costs, cash, and the pro forma statements automatically. A well-structured spreadsheet or FP&A tool with clear input cells and no hard-coding enables fast scenario and sensitivity analysis.
Real-world example Changing the sales driver instantly updates the whole master budget model, including the balance sheet.

Common follow-ups: Why avoid hard-coding? | What does automatic recalculation enable?