More Budgets

I wrote alot last year about budgets (see here). Lately, we as a class were challenged about budgeting programs and projects. When I read the challenge question then read my colleagues responses, I thought to myself that "of course budgets need to be considered." The actual question was: Would you or would you not consider budget issues when conducting a needs assessment? Please explain.

That's the way I've been conditioned though. 

For years, as a contractor, we lived and died by our financial status of the company and operations divisions, and our budgets for each department. We would have weekly meetings to discuss over all budgets and finances and allow the data from those meetings to drive almost every decision we made. Needs assessments too were first and foremost considered in terms of budgetary demands and budget considerations.

Then some of my colleagues comments about seeing the entire landscape without limitations like budgetary demands resonated with me. 

One thing I've been taught over the years when thinking about training projects or programs is "what would you do, how would you design this if money was no object?" In general the answer you land on is the right answer, at least according to my contracting organization's ethos. After you've determined what the right course to take is, the next step is to find the budget for it, or to convince someone in charge of budgets to fund it.