GA
Planning Agent
Explains every variance. Answers plan questions in plain language.
Minutes1 (modeled outcome) to first-draft variance commentary, down from days
Glossary
Variance analysis
Definition
Variance analysis quantifies and explains the differences between planned and actual financial results by driver such as price, volume, mix, and timing.
A variance is the difference between what was budgeted or forecast and what happened. Variance analysis decomposes that difference into causes. A revenue shortfall may be split into price, volume, product mix, and foreign exchange. An expense overrun may be split into headcount, rate, timing, and one-time items. The decomposition is arithmetic; the commentary explains what the arithmetic means.
Finance teams produce variance commentary in the monthly reporting pack. Historically this was the slowest part of the pack because analysts compiled it by hand from multiple systems after the close.
Meridian's Planning Agent computes variances at any grain the hierarchy supports, attributes each to its drivers with the math shown, and drafts commentary in the pack's format for analysts to edit and sign.
Related terms
Related agents
Agents that use this
Meridian agents whose work depends on variance analysis. Each is scoped to one workflow and logs every action.
- 1.Modeled outcomes from design-partner deployments. Results vary by data quality, workflow scope, and approval policy. ↩
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