Budget time doesn’t have to be painful. Instead, it can be a valuable time to examine your training programs and look for ways to improve. In “Preparing and Defending Your Training Budget,” Lianabel Oliver Bigas explains how to plan first and budget later so that your budget reflects your expectations and hopes for the coming year. This practical guide leads you through the planning process so that you can create a budget that is easy to defend to your organization’s leaders.

This issue of TD at Work includes:

• questions to ask when planning

• suggested performance metrics

• tips for defending your budget

• guidance for specific line items

• a sample expenditure chart

• a template for documenting your work plan.