Checklist for Editors: Operational Budgeting - Getting Started with Operational Budgeting

Before You Begin... 

Learn the Process

Go through the ClearGov Academy learning journey: Getting Started with Operational Budgeting
Note: Use your ClearGov login to access ClearGov Academy.

Register for live sessions through our Getting Started Group Training Workshops:

• Getting Started With Operational Budgeting (Part 1) - Laying the Groundwork
• Getting Started With Operational Budgeting (Part 2) - Stop. Collaborate. Decisions.

Pro-Tip: Utilize the Progress Tracker to help you stay on task with the process. 

Gather Relevant Materials

Collect all relevant materials in preparation, including the names, email addresses, and departments of any contributors.

Send your financial data to ClearGov to upload into our system. Reach out to your ClearGov Point of Contact with any questions.

5 Steps to Create an Operational Budget

Note: You can create as many Operational Budgets as you'd like, which is useful when developing what-if scenarios.

Step 1: Create a Baseline Operational Budget

Select Create New Budget to get started! Start with last year's annual or biennial operational budget data created in ClearGov. Or, you can choose to start with a zero-based budget. 

Resource: 

• Create and Navigate an Operational Budget
• Create a New Budget
• Add Additional Editors

Step 2: Get Ready for a Request Round

Once the Budget is created, it's time to prepare. Be sure to review your Operational Budget Settings and the Worksheet. Modify accounts and/or category budget amounts, notes, and attachments before sending them to contributors and reviewers and Save a Baseline version.

Add your Contributors and Reviewers by Assigning Accounts or sections of the operational budget to each user who needs to edit or review. These users will only see these accounts.

Resource: 

• The Request Round Cycle
• Checklist for Editors: Prepare the Worksheet for a Request Round
• Checklist for Editors: Prepare for Collaborators in a Request Round

Step 3: Start a Request Round! 

After assigning accounts, Start the Request Round and officially invite others to participate in the operational budgeting process. 

Once your Contributors have been invited to the budget, the accounts are now in their hands! As an editor, will not be able to make edits on those accounts until they have been submitted. 

Resources: 

• Operational Budgeting - Start a Request Round and Invite Collaborators
• What Can Editors Do in an Open Request Round?
• Checklist: Review and Submit Edits in the Request Round for Contributors - Send to your Contributors to assist them with the process. 
• Checklist: Review and Leave Feedback on an Operational Budget for Reviewers - Send to your Reviewers to assist them with the process. 

Step 4: Make Decisions on Requests and Close the Request Round

Head to the Worksheet to review submissions by your department leaders. Approve, make an edit & approve, or deny requests in bulk to streamline the approval process. After ALL accounts have been assigned, submitted, and reviewed, you can Close the Request Round.

Pro-Tip: Repeat a Request Round as many times as needed by simply inviting contributors again. 

Resource: 

• Checklist for Editors: Make Decisions and Close the Request Round

Step 5: Publish, Export and Finalize the Budget

Time to share with stakeholders. Export the Budget with Reports and via the Dashboard. Easily publish your budget to your Transparency Center (if you are subscribed to ClearGov's Transparency module) or in your Digital Budget Book (if you are subscribed to ClearGov's Digital Budget Book module). 

Pro-Tip: As you are working with stakeholders and budget adjustments are needed, be sure to Save a Version of the Budget. You can use Version Tags to help you identify the different stages of the Budget. 

Once the budget is truly finalized, you can select Finalize to save a Final Budget Version, but know that you can always Reopen the budget at any time. 

Resources: 

• Navigate the Dashboard
• Create and Manage Custom Reports
• Finalize, Publish and Export your Operational Budget
• Review Pages and Financials for your Transparency Site
• Digital Budget Book

Need Additional Resources?

Feel free to search our Support Center or review resources on this specific module: Operational Budgeting