Zero-Based-Budgeting (ZBB) Consulting
Realign Spend. Unlock Capacity. Advance Strategy.
Unlike traditional budgeting processes that start with the previous year’s budget and incremental targets, ZBB begins with a clean slate and a focus on the company's strategic priorities. By assigning cost element ownership and setting clear governance rules, we establish a shared responsibility model that ensures everyone is aligned with the budget targets.
In today’s volatile and resource-constrained environment, leaders are seeking ways to refocus spending, eliminate structural waste, and fund high-impact priorities without defaulting to across-the-board cuts. Zero-Based Budgeting (ZBB) offers a structured, strategy-first approach to cost realignment, without compromising performance.
At Brookey & Company, we help organizations use ZBB to shift funding toward mission-critical outcomes, build reinvestment capacity, and drive operational clarity across functions. Our engagements are tailored, context-driven, and designed to build executive confidence in complex budgeting decisions.
We begin by assessing how current budgets align with strategic objectives. Working with your existing data and tools, we identify misaligned spend, legacy cost structures, and reinvestment opportunities—translating insight into clear action.
Our phased approach prioritizes traction over templates. Whether you’re under investor pressure, facing budget mandates, or leading a transformation effort, we help you turn your budget into a lever for growth, agility, and long-term value.
Brookey & Company works with private companies, public agencies, and mission-driven organizations to deploy ZBB not as a finance project, but as a leadership strategy.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is Zero-Based Budgeting (ZBB)?
ZBB is a strategic planning approach that starts from zero, requiring each expense to be justified in alignment with current priorities. It reallocates resources based on mission impact and organizational needs.
How is your approach different from traditional ZBB consulting?
We don’t impose templates or top-down mandates. We build alignment with stakeholders, work with your current systems, and co-design the ZBB process to fit your planning cadence, not ours.
When should an organization consider ZBB?
Triggers include persistent budget shortfalls, post-merger alignment, board-mandated performance improvements, or the need to fund new strategic initiatives without expanding spend.
What’s the ROI of a ZBB initiative?
Most clients identify near-term cost savings, governance improvements, or reinvestment opportunities that exceed 10x the initiative cost, often within the same planning cycle.
Why not use a finance or ERP advisory firm for ZBB?
Because they optimize for systems, not strategy. Brookey & Company helps you use what you already have to make better funding decisions. We integrate ZBB into your leadership rhythm, not just your reporting stack.
Executive Guide to Strategic Zero-Based Budgeting
Learn how leadership teams use ZBB to unlock reinvestment capacity, eliminate structural waste, and fund what matters, without disrupting operations. Perfect for CEOs, CFOs, and strategy leaders navigating growth, constraints, or post-merger transitions.
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