Free Template

Project Budget Template

Track project costs by phase, milestone, and resource type. This template covers internal labour, external contractors, materials, and overheads with earned value tracking to monitor budget health throughout the project lifecycle.

What's included

Everything in this template

  • Phase-based cost breakdown (planning, build, launch)
  • Resource type allocation (labour, contractors, materials)
  • Milestone payment tracking
  • Earned value metrics (CPI, SPI)
  • Contingency reserve tracking

Template preview

See the structure

fx=Budget - Spent
Phase
Budget
Spent
Remaining
Planning
£25k
£22k
£3k
Build
£180k
£145k
£35k
Testing
£40k
£12k
£28k
Launch
£30k
£0
£30k
Total
£275k
£179k
£96k

Step by step

How to use this template

1

Define project phases and milestones

Break your project into phases and list key milestones. Each phase gets its own budget allocation.

2

Estimate costs by resource type

For each phase, estimate internal labour hours, contractor costs, materials, and overheads. Use day rates or hourly rates for labour.

3

Set a contingency reserve

Add a contingency line — typically 10-20% of the total budget — to cover scope changes and unforeseen costs.

4

Track actual spend weekly

Update the spent column weekly to monitor burn rate. The template calculates remaining budget and earned value metrics automatically.

5

Review at each milestone

At each milestone, compare planned vs actual cost and timeline. Adjust future phase budgets if needed.

Watch out

Common mistakes to avoid

Underestimating the cost of internal labour by not applying fully loaded rates

Setting a contingency reserve that is too small for the project risk profile

Tracking spend monthly instead of weekly, which delays problem detection

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Import this template directly into Grove FP and start planning. No credit card required.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions