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ClaudeWave
Skill254 repo starsupdated 5mo ago

budget-variance-analyzer

This Claude Code skill analyzes construction project budget variances by comparing budgeted costs against actual and forecasted expenses. Use it to detect cost overruns early, identify which cost categories are problematic, forecast final project costs, and generate detailed variance reports that support cost control decisions and identify root causes of budget deviations across labor, materials, equipment, and other construction cost categories.

Install in Claude Code
Copy
git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/datadrivenconstruction/DDC_Skills_for_AI_Agents_in_Construction /tmp/budget-variance-analyzer && cp -r /tmp/budget-variance-analyzer/1_DDC_Toolkit/Cost-Management/budget-variance-analyzer ~/.claude/skills/budget-variance-analyzer
Then start a new Claude Code session; the skill loads automatically.

SKILL.md

# Budget Variance Analyzer

## Business Case

### Problem Statement
Cost overruns surprise project teams:
- Late detection of budget issues
- No systematic variance analysis
- Difficult to forecast final costs
- Unclear root causes

### Solution
Systematic budget variance analysis that tracks costs against budget, identifies trends, and forecasts final project costs.

### Business Value
- **Early warning** - Detect overruns early
- **Forecasting** - Predict final costs
- **Accountability** - Track variance causes
- **Decision support** - Informed cost decisions

## Technical Implementation

```python
import pandas as pd
from datetime import datetime, date
from typing import Dict, Any, List, Optional, Tuple
from dataclasses import dataclass, field
from enum import Enum


class VarianceStatus(Enum):
    """Variance status."""
    UNDER_BUDGET = "under_budget"
    ON_BUDGET = "on_budget"
    OVER_BUDGET = "over_budget"
    CRITICAL = "critical"


class CostCategory(Enum):
    """Cost categories."""
    LABOR = "labor"
    MATERIAL = "material"
    EQUIPMENT = "equipment"
    SUBCONTRACTOR = "subcontractor"
    OVERHEAD = "overhead"
    CONTINGENCY = "contingency"
    OTHER = "other"


class VarianceCause(Enum):
    """Common variance causes."""
    SCOPE_CHANGE = "scope_change"
    QUANTITY_CHANGE = "quantity_change"
    PRICE_ESCALATION = "price_escalation"
    PRODUCTIVITY = "productivity"
    REWORK = "rework"
    DELAY = "delay"
    UNFORESEEN = "unforeseen"
    ESTIMATE_ERROR = "estimate_error"
    OTHER = "other"


@dataclass
class BudgetItem:
    """Single budget line item."""
    item_code: str
    description: str
    category: CostCategory
    original_budget: float
    current_budget: float  # After approved changes
    committed_cost: float  # Contracts, POs
    actual_cost: float     # Paid/invoiced
    forecast_cost: float   # Estimate at completion
    percent_complete: float
    notes: str = ""

    @property
    def variance_amount(self) -> float:
        """Budget variance (negative = over budget)."""
        return self.current_budget - self.forecast_cost

    @property
    def variance_percent(self) -> float:
        """Variance as percentage."""
        if self.current_budget == 0:
            return 0
        return (self.variance_amount / self.current_budget) * 100

    @property
    def status(self) -> VarianceStatus:
        """Determine variance status."""
        pct = self.variance_percent
        if pct > 5:
            return VarianceStatus.UNDER_BUDGET
        elif pct >= -5:
            return VarianceStatus.ON_BUDGET
        elif pct >= -15:
            return VarianceStatus.OVER_BUDGET
        else:
            return VarianceStatus.CRITICAL


@dataclass
class VarianceRecord:
    """Record of budget variance."""
    record_id: str
    item_code: str
    variance_amount: float
    cause: VarianceCause
    explanation: str
    recorded_date: date
    recorded_by: str
    approved: bool = False
    approval_date: Optional[date] = None


@dataclass
class ForecastScenario:
    """Cost forecast scenario."""
    name: str
    description: str
    adjustments: Dict[str, float]  # item_code: adjustment amount
    total_forecast: float
    variance_from_budget: float


class BudgetVarianceAnalyzer:
    """Analyze budget vs actual cost variances."""

    VARIANCE_THRESHOLD_WARNING = -0.05  # -5%
    VARIANCE_THRESHOLD_CRITICAL = -0.15  # -15%

    def __init__(self, project_name: str, original_budget: float, currency: str = "USD"):
        self.project_name = project_name
        self.original_budget = original_budget
        self.currency = currency
        self.items: Dict[str, BudgetItem] = {}
        self.variance_records: List[VarianceRecord] = []
        self.history: List[Dict[str, Any]] = []

    def add_budget_item(self,
                       item_code: str,
                       description: str,
                       category: CostCategory,
                       budget: float,
                       committed: float = 0,
                       actual: float = 0,
                       percent_complete: float = 0) -> BudgetItem:
        """Add budget line item."""
        forecast = max(committed, actual / percent_complete * 100) if percent_complete > 0 else budget

        item = BudgetItem(
            item_code=item_code,
            description=description,
            category=category,
            original_budget=budget,
            current_budget=budget,
            committed_cost=committed,
            actual_cost=actual,
            forecast_cost=forecast,
            percent_complete=percent_complete
        )

        self.items[item_code] = item
        return item

    def update_costs(self, item_code: str,
                    committed: float = None,
                    actual: float = None,
                    percent_complete: float = None,
                    forecast: float = None):
        """Update item costs."""
        if item_code not in self.items:
            raise ValueError(f"Item {item_code} not found")

        item = self.items[item_code]

        if committed is not None:
            item.committed_cost = committed
        if actual is not None:
            item.actual_cost = actual
        if percent_complete is not None:
            item.percent_complete = percent_complete
        if forecast is not None:
            item.forecast_cost = forecast
        else:
            # Auto-calculate forecast
            if item.percent_complete > 0:
                item.forecast_cost = item.actual_cost / item.percent_complete * 100
            else:
                item.forecast_cost = max(item.committed_cost, item.current_budget)

        self._record_history()

    def adjust_budget(self, item_code: str, amount: float, reason: str):
        """Adjust current budget (approved change)."""
        if item_code not in self.items:
            raise ValueError(f"Item {item_code} not found")

        self.items[item_code].current_budget