We keep approving expenses without project context. What should change?
Uncontrolled expense attributionRequire enough context to link an expense to authorized work, a budget category, and evidence. Keep the process proportionate while preventing unexplained costs from accumulating.
What to do now
- Identify the related project and purpose
- Check budget and authority
- Attach appropriate supporting evidence
- Review exceptions and trends with finance
When to escalate
Escalate when
A charge lacks authorization or appears improper.
Who decides
The budget owner and authorized finance representative
Example
Travel costs link to a specific approved workshop rather than an unexplained miscellaneous category.
Mistake to avoid
Approving expenses solely because funds remain in the total budget.
Prevent a repeat
Review remaining cost and commitments, not only money already spent; reconcile with the authorized finance source.
Related cases
- How do we control project contingency without hiding it?Opaque contingency management
- A change request has no budget impact listed. Is zero credible?Incomplete change impact
- How do we keep change control lightweight for a small team?Proportionate change recording
- An AI agent can approve expenses automatically. Should we enable it?Excessive automated decision authority