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Quick Start Guide

Generate Sample Data

Step 1: Run the Data Generator

python generate_sample_data.py

This will create:

  • data/budget_2024.xlsx - Full year budget (all 12 months)
  • data/actuals_2024.xlsx - YTD actuals (Jan-Oct)

Step 2: Launch Jupyter Notebook

jupyter notebook fpa_analysis_toolkit.ipynb

Step 3: Run the Analysis

  1. Run Cells 1-9 (one time - defines all functions)

  2. Verify Cell 2 settings:

   CURRENT_MONTH = 'Oct'
   BUDGET_FILE = 'data/budget_2024.xlsx'
   ACTUALS_FILE = 'data/actuals_2024.xlsx'
  1. Run Cell 10 - The complete analysis executes automatically!

Step 4: Review Results

Check the output/ folder for:

  • FPA_Report_Oct_2024.xlsx - Complete Excel report with 8 tabs

What You'll See

Console Output

  • Data loading confirmation
  • YTD trend analysis showing:
    • Revenue: ~$15M YTD
    • Expense: ~$25M YTD
    • Variances and trends
  • Material variances requiring investigation
  • Forecast summary
  • Gap analysis

Visualizations

  • Monthly Trend Chart: Budget vs Actual/Forecast
  • Variance Waterfall: Current month performance

Excel Report (8 tabs)

  1. Executive Summary
  2. Current Month Detail
  3. YTD Summary
  4. Department Detail
  5. Material Variances
  6. Forecast Detail
  7. Gap Analysis
  8. Metadata

Expected Results

With the sample data generated:

Revenue:

  • Annual Budget: ~$18M
  • YTD Actual: ~$15M
  • Forecast: ~$18-19M (depending on method)

Expense:

  • Annual Budget: ~$30M
  • YTD Actual: ~$25M
  • Forecast: ~$30-31M

Material Variances:

  • Expect 10-20 accounts with variances >10%
  • Mix of favorable and unfavorable

Forecast Gap:

  • Revenue: Usually within ±5% of budget
  • Expense: Usually within ±3% of budget

Troubleshooting

"File not found" error

  • Make sure you ran generate_sample_data.py first
  • Check that data/ folder exists
  • Verify file paths in Cell 2

"Module not found" error

  • Install dependencies: pip install -r requirements.txt

Charts not showing

  • Make sure SHOW_CHARTS = True in Cell 10
  • Try %matplotlib inline before Cell 10

Excel file not created

  • Check that output/ folder exists
  • Verify EXPORT_TO_EXCEL = True in Cell 10
  • Check file permissions

Next Steps

Once you've verified it works with sample data:

  1. Use Your Own Data:

    • Export your actual budget/actuals to Excel
    • Ensure columns match required format
    • Update file paths in Cell 2

  2. Customize for Your Organization:

    • Update departments in Cell 2
    • Modify account categories
    • Adjust variance thresholds

  3. Run Monthly:

    • Update CURRENT_MONTH in Cell 2
    • Export new actuals file
    • Run Cell 10
    • Review material variances
    • Share Excel report with stakeholders

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## **Complete File Structure**

Your project should look like this:

fpa-analysis-toolkit/ ├── README.md # Main documentation ├── QUICKSTART.md # Quick start guide ├── requirements.txt # Python dependencies ├── generate_sample_data.py # Data generator script ├── fpa_analysis_toolkit.ipynb # Main notebook (Cells 1-10) ├── data/ # Input data folder │ ├── budget_2024.xlsx # Generated by script │ └── actuals_2024.xlsx # Generated by script └── output/ # Output folder └── FPA_Report_Oct_2024.xlsx # Generated by notebook