According to Budgets and Financial Management in higher education by Margaret Barr and George McClellan the six pitfalls in preparing budget documents are 1. failure to understand institutional guidelines 2. failure to check computations. 3. failure to connect the new proposal to the unit and institutional strategic plan. 4. failure to clearly state what will occur if the proposal is not funded. 5. failure to clearly state what will not occur if the proposal is not funded. 6. failure to account for ancillary cost ( staff and faculty bnenefits, room rentals etc)

What are the strategies for overcoming the six pitfalls in preparing budget documents during the budget cycle?