Budget

“Our team of PMP, PRINCE2, MSP certified program/project managers have adopted a sound and repeatable approach that is customized to align with the interests and needs of our clients. We engage stakeholders and manage stakeholder expectations while maintaining regular and strategic communication. Our program/project management includes scope/budget/schedule management, risk identification and mitigation, and incorporates industry-leading practices such as PMBoK, APMBoK, Microsoft Dynamics Sure Step methodology and Agile.”

“Our team of experienced project management professionals structure projects by applying standard project management practices. In particular, we deliver projects on time and on budget, evaluate program and/or project management office controls to align projects with the overall corporate goal, and perform project risk assessment, including analysis of project and system failures, to optimize IT investments.”

"Responsibility for the integrity and objectivity of the accompanying financial statements for the year ended March 31, 2011, and all information contained in these statements rests with the management of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada (AANDC). "

The Fiscal Plan is a consolidated, program by program budget. The fiscal plan lays out the overall Band Council budget for the new fiscal year and is based upon approved Program Work Plans. Program budgets set out expected financial activities during the fiscal year. They are based on an analysis of revenues and expenditures and include both capital and operational expenditures.

A Capital Plan is a prioritized listing (including cost estimates) for major capital projects that the community would like to undertake over the next five years. The Capital Plan includes both mandatory and optional capital projects, as well as funded and unfunded projects. Capital Projects are usually defined as projects related to the planning, design, construction, renovation or purchase of facilities for education, housing, or community infrastructure purposes. Capital assets are permanent resources in the community such as buildings, roads, utilities, land, and equipment.

Preliminary Program Budgets outline the activities that will be undertaken on a program-by-program basis. These Budgets effectively implement the priorities established and approved by Band Council while meeting minimum program standards. Program budgets are costed plans. That means they not only establish what the program will do, but also estimates the funds required to carry out those activities.

Community accountability means direct communication with the people to provide information to and to receive feedback and input from Band Members. It provides an opportunity to discuss Band Council business in an open and transparent manner. Community Accountability is achieved through a number of processes including the Annual Report, the audit, and the Annual General Meeting (AGM).

Appropriations are the process of allocating anticipated revenues (see Revenue Forecast) to Band programs and agencies. Program Work Plans outline exactly how much money is to be transferred to each program and when.

Expenditure and Variance Reports are monthly or quarterly spreadsheets and summaries that give an up-to-date comparison between Revenue Forecast and funds received, and between appropriations and actual expenditures on a program by program basis (see Sample Expenditure and Variance Reports). The difference between budgeted numbers and actuals is called a variance. A summary report recaps the overall financial position of the First Nation as at specific dates in the fiscal year (generally monthly).

The audit is a formal, independent review of all Band revenues and expenditures for the fiscal year. It is conducted in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. Essentially, the audit is a "report card" of the financial management and fiscal health of the First Nation.