A Project Manager's guide to budgets, forecasts, and looking like you know what you're doing.
A short book. Deliberately. The one I wish I could hand to every Project Manager I've worked with on day one — the finance bit explained in plain English, with none of the textbook punishment.
Thirteen short chapters, five parts, plus four appendices including a jargon cheat sheet and a monthly reporting template.
The jargon, decoded. Accruals, P&L, YTD, committed spend — introduced in the order you'll actually hit them.
How to interrogate an inherited budget. What to ask, what to fix, what to escalate — before it becomes your problem.
A simple monthly rhythm that turns chaotic actuals into a story you can walk into any steerco with.
Variance, explained. What to say when someone demands to know why "the number moved" — without sounding like you're making it up.
The monthly report template I've watched senior leaders genuinely say "thank you" for. Based on reporting approaches I've used in real organisations.
The first draft is complete. Working through edits and illustrations now. Drop your name and email and I'll tell you first when the book lands.