Budget Review and Approval Workflow in Ontraccr
🧾 Budget Review and Approval Workflow in Ontraccr
📘 Overview
Once a budget is built in Step 5, it can be reviewed, edited, and submitted for internal alignment. While Ontraccr doesn’t yet include formal approval routing or locking mechanisms, the workflow supports a collaborative budgeting process using clear review stages and visibility across roles.
This article explains how teams typically finalize budgets in Ontraccr and how to manage edits and version consistency.
✅ Building the Budget
Start by completing your budget using either:
- Build Estimate Mode (detailed per-cost-code)
- Upload Budget/High level Mode (Default Mode)
Once your team finishes entering values, use the following strategies for review and sign-off.
🧑💼 Review Workflow Best Practices
1. Export for Offline Review
- Use the Excel or PDF Export options in the ⋮ menu
- Send the file to project managers, estimators, or execs for review
- Gather feedback externally before applying edits in Ontraccr
2. Leave Budget in Draft State
- You do not need to submit or publish the budget formally
- Budgets remain editable unless tied to submitted invoices or locked downstream
3. Review Profit Forecast
- Use the Contract Value and Expected Profit sections to validate margin
- Adjust contract value or cost lines to reflect business targets
4. Collaborative Editing
- Multiple users can edit the budget if they have permissions
- Use Slack, email, or internal calls to coordinate edits before locking in numbers
🔐 What Happens After Budget Is “Finalized”?
While there’s no formal “Approve” button:
- Any user with access can return to Step 5 and edit the budget at any time
- Once the project is live:
- You can still adjust budgets, but may want to log changes externally
- You’ll start seeing actuals appear in the Progress Page
- Comparing actual vs. estimated becomes your source of truth for project health
🧾 Does Ontraccr Lock Budget Versions?
No, Ontraccr currently does not:
- Track version history of budgets
- Lock budgets after submission
- Require budget approvals from specific roles
📌 If formal budget control is critical for your company, use the PDF Export as a version snapshot before changes, or export-to-Excel as a version archive.
📤 Budget Version Control Tip
To track revisions:
- Export the budget as a PDF or Excel before editing
- Use naming conventions like:
Budget_v1_Initial.xlsxBudget_v2_PostEstimatorReview.xlsx