FP&A pack
Build budgets and forecasts, write variance commentary and explain results to business leaders
Who it is for. FP&A analysts and managers who build the budget and forecast, explain the numbers each month and partner with the people who run the business.
202 blocks, 77 prompts, 49 variables, in 16 topics. Version 2.
Made for Pro. Every download starts with 14 days of Pro, so you can add this pack today and use all of it; on the Free plan you can add it and read it, with your library read-only until you move to Pro or remove it. How packs work on Free and Pro
How to add a pack
- Download the pack. It is a single file that ends in .promptmason.json.
- In PromptMason, open Settings → Backup & data → Block packs and choose Add a pack from a file….
- Pick the file you downloaded.
The pack is added next to what you have, in a folder named for the pack with one subfolder for each topic. See Add a block pack for the details.
What is inside
Topics
- Annual budget
- Rolling forecast
- Variance analysis and monthly commentary
- Bridges and walks
- Headcount and compensation planning
- Capital expenditure requests and business cases
- Leadership and board reporting
- Scenario and sensitivity analysis
- Pricing and margin analysis
- Cash forecasting hand-off
- KPI dashboards and metric definitions
- Business partnering conversations
- Long-range planning
- Cost management and savings tracking
- Planning calendar and process
- Financial models: building and reviewing
Annual budget
- Role blocks
- Budget process owner
- Context blocks
- Company and reporting basis, Budget cycle and ownership
- Task blocks
- Budget guidance letter to budget holders, Top-down targets and planning assumptions, Review a cost centre budget submission, Reconcile bottom-up submissions to the top-down targets, Budget-to-prior-year walk, Budget approval narrative, Phase the budget by month
- Format blocks
- Budget review memo, Variance table
- Constraints blocks
- Work only from the figures given, Not financial advice, No accounting conclusions, Challenge the numbers, do not rewrite them
- Prompts
- Budget guidance and assumptions pack; Review a budget submission; Close the gap to the targets; Budget approval paper; Monthly phasing of the budget
Rolling forecast
- Role blocks
- Forecast owner
- Context blocks
- Forecast version and horizon, Driver assumptions
- Task blocks
- Forecast input request to business leads, Build the driver-based revenue forecast, Forecast-to-forecast change summary, Forecast accuracy review, Risks and opportunities register, Forecast sign-off summary for the CFO, Run-rate check against the forecast
- Format blocks
- Change log by driver, Risks and opportunities table
- Constraints blocks
- Separate run-rate from one-offs, Say how confident you are
- Prompts
- Ask the business for forecast inputs; Driver-based revenue forecast; What changed since the last forecast; Forecast accuracy and run-rate check; Forecast sign-off pack
Variance analysis and monthly commentary
- Role blocks
- FP&A analyst
- Context blocks
- Period and comparison, Figures for the period
- Task blocks
- Monthly variance commentary, Price, volume and mix analysis, Explain a variance to the line owner, Flex the budget for volume, Spot the one-offs and timing differences, Questions to ask before writing the commentary, Year-to-date and full-year view
- Format blocks
- Commentary by line item
- Constraints blocks
- Explain only what is material, Name the driver, not the symptom
- Prompts
- Monthly variance commentary; Price, volume and mix; Questions and notes before the commentary; Flexed budget variance; Month in the context of the year
Bridges and walks
- Context blocks
- Bridge start and end points
- Task blocks
- Build an EBITDA bridge, Revenue walk from the prior year, Forecast-to-forecast bridge, Constant-currency and like-for-like walk, Check the bridge foots, Bridge commentary for a slide
- Format blocks
- Bridge steps table
- Constraints blocks
- The bridge must foot
- Prompts
- EBITDA bridge; Revenue walk; Forecast-to-forecast bridge; Bridge check and slide commentary
Headcount and compensation planning
- Role blocks
- Workforce planning partner
- Context blocks
- Headcount plan and open roles, Payroll cost assumptions
- Task blocks
- Build the headcount cost model from the roster, Assess a hiring request against the plan, Headcount variance: plan against actual, Attrition and backfill scenario, Prepare the headcount review with a department head, Annual merit and bonus cost estimate
- Format blocks
- Headcount table by team and month, Hiring request decision note
- Constraints blocks
- Use aggregated people data only
- Prompts
- Headcount cost model; Hiring request and headcount review; Headcount variance; Attrition scenario; Pay review and bonus cost
Capital expenditure requests and business cases
- Role blocks
- Investment appraisal analyst
- Context blocks
- Investment approval rules, The investment request
- Task blocks
- Write the business case, Review a business case and list the holes, Payback, net present value and return calculation, Rank competing requests within the envelope, Post-investment review, Capex phasing and cash timing schedule
- Format blocks
- Business case one-pager, Options comparison table
- Constraints blocks
- Benefits need an owner and a date
- Prompts
- Write a business case; Review a business case; Payback, return and phasing; Rank the investment requests; Post-investment review
Leadership and board reporting
- Role blocks
- Finance partner for executives
- Context blocks
- Audience and what they care about, Previous commentary
- Task blocks
- Management pack narrative, Board finance section, Anticipate the questions leaders will ask, Rewrite analyst commentary for leaders, Full-year outlook statement, KPI page commentary, Answer a follow-up question from a board member
- Format blocks
- Executive summary, drivers, actions, Board paper finance section layout
- Constraints blocks
- Every number ties to the reported figures, Lead with what matters to the reader
- Prompts
- Monthly management pack narrative; Board finance section; Board and leadership questions; Rewrite commentary for leaders; Outlook and KPI page
Scenario and sensitivity analysis
- Role blocks
- Scenario planner
- Context blocks
- Scenario to test, Key drivers and ranges
- Task blocks
- Define base, downside and upside scenarios, Sensitivity table on the key drivers, Break-even analysis, Scenario memo with triggers and responses, Stress test the plan against a shock, Turn a scenario into a playbook by function
- Format blocks
- Scenario comparison table, Ranked sensitivities list
- Constraints blocks
- Change one thing at a time, Scenarios are not forecasts
- Prompts
- Three scenarios for the plan; Sensitivity on the key drivers; Scenario memo and playbook; Break-even and stress test
Pricing and margin analysis
- Role blocks
- Commercial finance analyst
- Context blocks
- Pricing and margin data, Product or customer in scope
- Task blocks
- Gross margin by product and customer, Price change impact analysis, Discount and price leakage review, Unit economics, Customer profitability ranking, Review a pricing proposal from sales, Margin improvement options
- Format blocks
- Price waterfall table, Margin ranking table
- Constraints blocks
- Separate price, cost and mix, Do not invent customer behaviour
- Prompts
- Margin by product and customer; Price change and margin options; Price waterfall and leakage; Unit economics; Review a pricing proposal
Cash forecasting hand-off
- Context blocks
- Working capital terms, Cash figures
- Task blocks
- Convert the operating forecast into a cash forecast, Working capital driver forecast, Hand-off note to treasury, Cash variance: forecast against actual, Headroom against the cash floor, Cash conversion commentary
- Format blocks
- Thirteen-week cash view
- Constraints blocks
- Keep accrual and cash apart
- Prompts
- Operating forecast to cash forecast; Working capital forecast; Hand-off note to treasury; Cash variance and conversion; Headroom check
KPI dashboards and metric definitions
- Role blocks
- Metrics owner
- Context blocks
- KPI set, KPI figures
- Task blocks
- Write a metric definition, Dashboard commentary, Choose the KPIs for a function, Reconcile two versions of the same metric, Set targets and thresholds, Review a dashboard before it goes out
- Format blocks
- Metric definition card, Three bullets per metric
- Constraints blocks
- One definition per metric, State the period, comparison and unit
- Prompts
- KPI definitions; Dashboard review and commentary; Choose a function's KPIs; Reconcile two figures for one metric; Targets and thresholds
Business partnering conversations
- Role blocks
- FP&A business partner
- Context blocks
- The stakeholder and their goals, The request from the business
- Task blocks
- Prepare for a monthly business review, Respond to a request for more budget, Push back on an optimistic forecast, Lay out the financial trade-offs of a decision, Follow-up note after a business review, Translate a business plan into financial terms, Prepare for a difficult conversation about overspend
- Format blocks
- Meeting preparation one-pager, Decisions, actions, owners, dates
- Constraints blocks
- Partner, not police, Separate facts, interpretations and recommendations
- Prompts
- Business review preparation; Respond to a request for more budget; Push back on a forecast; Decisions and plans in financial terms; Follow-up note after a review; Overspend conversation
Long-range planning
- Role blocks
- Strategic finance lead
- Context blocks
- Planning horizon and strategic priorities
- Task blocks
- Design the long-range model structure, Translate strategy into financial targets by year, Growth and investment trade-off, Compare the plan with the benchmarks given, Long-range plan narrative, Reconcile year one of the plan to the budget
- Format blocks
- Plan summary table by year, Ambition, path, bets, asks
- Constraints blocks
- Make every big assumption explicit, Distinguish committed from aspirational
- Prompts
- Long-range model design; Strategy to financial targets; Growth against profit; Plan against benchmarks and budget; Long-range plan narrative
Cost management and savings tracking
- Role blocks
- Cost programme lead
- Context blocks
- Cost base by category, Savings programme
- Task blocks
- Cost base review, Size a savings initiative, Savings tracking report, Spend request review against budget, Vendor and contract cost review, Zero-based review of a cost centre, Monthly cost report for a cost centre owner
- Format blocks
- Savings tracker table, Cost review memo
- Constraints blocks
- In-year and run-rate, never mixed, Count each saving once
- Prompts
- Cost base and vendor review; Size a saving; Savings tracking report; Zero-based review; Monthly cost report and spend request
Planning calendar and process
- Task blocks
- Build the planning calendar backwards from approval, Budget kick-off talking points, Design the budget template, Instructions for completing the template, Mid-cycle status update, Lessons-learned review after the cycle
- Format blocks
- Milestone calendar table
- Constraints blocks
- Leave time to review, Say what is decided and what is open
- Prompts
- Planning calendar and status; Budget kick-off talking points; Budget template and instructions; Lessons learned from the cycle
Financial models: building and reviewing
- Role blocks
- Model reviewer
- Context blocks
- The model, Model purpose and users
- Task blocks
- Review a financial model, Design a model before building it, Write the assumptions register, Document the model, Test the model with edge cases, Hand over a model to a colleague
- Format blocks
- Findings by severity, Assumptions register table
- Constraints blocks
- Inputs, calculations and outputs stay separate, Flag, do not fix
- Prompts
- Model review; Design a model; Assumptions register and hand-over; Edge-case tests
Changelog
This is version 2.
| Version | Date | What changed |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2026-10-17 | First release: 16 topics, 202 blocks, 77 prompts, 49 variables. |
| 2 | 2026-10-17 | Prompts show one header per section: the second and later blocks of the same type continue the section above. |