Run a budget round

Give each budget owner a scope of a plan version to fill by a due date, require a reason for every change, review the submissions, and approve the version when the round closes.

Use a budget round when several people fill parts of one plan version. The round gives each owner a scope, such as an entity or a cost centre, a due date, and instructions. Owners plan inside their scope and submit it for review; reviewers approve a scope or send it back; closing the round approves the version. Every change made during the round is listed with its reason, so the approved version carries its own audit trail.

​

Who does what

Role	What they do
Round owner	Sets up the round: the plan version, the scopes and their owners, reviewers, due date, instructions, and reminders.
Scope owner	Changes the values inside their scope, gives a reason for each changed row, and submits the scope for review.
Reviewer	Approves a submitted scope or sends it back with a note.

A scope owner needs edit access to the budget. Reviewers and round owners see the round’s progress on its board.

​

Before you begin

• Create the plan version the round will work on, for example a copy of last year’s approved version. See Plan and review a budget.
• Decide the scopes: which entities or dimension items each owner is responsible for, and who reviews them.

​

Set up and start a round

1. Open the budget in and select Start a budget round.
2. Under Details, give the round a Name, choose the Plan version, set the Due date, and write the Instructions for owners: what to plan, from which starting point, and what every change needs. Attach Files for owners when the instructions refer to a document.
3. Under Scopes and owners, add a scope for each owner: pick the Entities or Dimensions the scope covers, the Owner, and the Reviewer. Leave Default reviewer set to use one reviewer for every scope.
4. Under Rules, choose whether every changed row needs a reason. Under Reminders, set how many Days before the due date and how often after it owners are reminded.
5. Save a draft and use Preview as to see the budget the way one owner will see it.
6. Select Start round. Owners are notified by email and see the scope under My tasks.

​

Fill a scope and submit it

1. Open the task from My tasks in the sidebar, or open the budget. The scope, its state, due date, and the instructions sit above the grid, and cells outside the scope are read-only.
2. Change the values in the scope. For each changed row, write a reason that says what changed and why. Rows without a reason are marked until they have one.
3. Select Submit for review. The reviewer is emailed, and the scope is read-only for you until it is approved or sent back.

A scope that comes back shows the reviewer’s note. Change what is needed and submit again.

​

Review and close the round

1. Open the round’s board from the budget. It lists each scope with its Owner, Reviewer, State, last activity, and whether it is overdue, and a Digest of what changed.
2. Open a submitted scope. Its changed rows show the amount when the round opened, the amount now, and the reason.
3. Select Approve, or Send back with a note under Your decision.
4. When every scope is approved, select Close round and approve version. The version is locked and shows Approved in the budget switcher.

A version cannot be approved while its balance sheet does not balance or does not reconcile to cash. Fix the balance sheet, or approve the version with a reason under Versions, then close the round.

​

Work on a round from an AI client

An AI client connected to Control’s Model Context Protocol (MCP) server can take part in a round for the person who connected it.

Tool	What it does
list_my_budget_round_tasks	Lists the scopes the person fills and the submissions waiting for their review, with the round’s due date and instructions.
get_budget_round_scope	Reads one scope: every row changed since the round opened, each changed month, and the reason that covers it.
submit_budget_round_scope	Submits the person’s scope for review. It is refused while a changed row still needs a reason.

Values are written with the ordinary budget tools, and each write needs an explanation; see Explain budget values and attach source files.

​

Verify the result

• Each scope on the board reads Approved, and the version carries the Approved tag in the budget switcher.
• The budget’s History lists every change made during the round with its reason and author.

​

Troubleshooting

Problem	Resolution
Submit for review is refused	The round requires a reason on every changed row. The message names the rows; add the reasons and submit again.
An owner cannot edit a cell	The cell is outside their scope, or the scope is submitted and waiting for review.
The version could not be approved	The balance sheet does not balance or reconcile to cash. Correct it, or approve the version with a reason under Versions.
An owner did not get the email	Check the owner’s notification settings under My tasks, and that the round was started, not only saved as a draft.

​

Next steps

• Plan and review a budget to lock the approved version and compare it with actuals.
• Compare actuals with plans once the approved version is the comparison point.