Cheri Standish, the controller at Harmonics International, overheard the following conversation among two of her product line department heads, Bob, manager of Pianos and Keyboards, and Fran, manager of Horns and Stringed Instruments.
Fran: "This budgeting process is consuming an inordinate amount of time. Each time I pre-pare a budget and send it to the controller's office, it comes back for revision. This is the third time I have had to reallocate funds for my budget requests.
Bob: "I know what you mean. And because we are evaluated on our ability to stay in budget, it is critical to have a cushion in case the economy turns south and sales of musical instruments do not meet projections."
What comments should the controller make to these two department heads about the benefits and the importance of the budgeting process?