Budget Drawdown Waterfall — From Approval To Remaining (Infographic)
Best for: showing how an approved budget is consumed line by line Avoid when: the reader needs time-series spend (use a chart) Answers: what was approved, what each commitment consumed, and what is left
infographic list-waterfall-compact-card
theme
colorPrimary #2b66c4
palette
- #2b66c4
- #2f9e44
- #f3a33c
- #d1242f
- #7048e8
- #0f9b9b
- #c16f8a
- #7c5a3d
data
title Platform Budget Drawdown
desc Approved to remaining, FY27
lists
- label Approved budget
desc $2.40M
- label Platform work
desc -$0.64M
- label Vendor renewals
desc -$0.31M
- label Remaining
desc $1.45MData Shape
lists where the first item is the starting level and the last item is the closing level; middle
items are the movements, written as signed amounts so the direction is unambiguous.
Key Options
| Option | Effect |
|---|---|
infographic list-waterfall-compact-card |
Stepped cards descending like a waterfall |
list-waterfall-badge-card |
Badge variant for shorter labels |
list-pyramid-* |
Use only if the reader should read levels, not flows |
Pitfalls
- ❌ Unsigned movements → ✅ always write
-$0.64M; the waterfall is about direction - ❌ Adding a "total" row that double counts → ✅ closing balance only, once
- ❌ Using it for year-over-year comparison → ✅ waterfalls decompose one number, they do not compare periods
Alternatives
| Variant | Use instead |
|---|---|
| Spend over time | budget-allocation-donut.md |
| Cost reduction programme | cost-reduction-waterfall.md |
| Headcount plan as levels | team-capacity-ramp.md |