Core Insights - The article emphasizes the importance of preparing a digital budget for 2026, which serves as a strategic reflection of a company's future direction and requires sufficient funding to support technological advancements [1][20]. Group 1: Strategic Alignment and Annual Goals - The digital budget should be closely tied to the company's strategy and business pain points, ensuring that leadership recognizes the necessity of the initiatives [2]. - A review of the current year's digital achievements and challenges should be included, showcasing key results from digital investments, such as a 5% increase in sales conversion rates due to CRM implementation [2]. - The new year's business strategy should be clearly articulated, demonstrating how digital initiatives will support strategic goals, such as implementing RPA to enhance efficiency and free up 30% of finance personnel's time [3]. Group 2: Annual Construction Planning and Project List - The planning section should reflect the CIO's professional capabilities, categorizing digital projects by type, such as efficiency improvement and technical foundation projects [5][6]. - Each key project should be detailed, including its name, business pain points addressed, core construction content, expected value, and timeline [7]. - A visual roadmap, such as a Gantt chart, should be used to illustrate the start and end dates of all projects, showcasing the CIO's planning and resource allocation skills [8]. Group 3: Investment Estimation and Budget Details - A clear and transparent cost model is essential, detailing both one-time and ongoing costs associated with digital initiatives, such as software licensing and maintenance fees [9][10][11]. - The annual budget summary should itemize costs by project category, including both one-time and recurring expenses, to provide a comprehensive financial overview [13]. - Justifications for each expenditure should be clearly outlined, referencing market benchmarks and supplier quotes to enhance credibility [15]. Group 4: Expected Returns and Risk Analysis - The budget should include a thorough investment return analysis, quantifying hard savings and soft benefits, and calculating key performance indicators [17]. - Risks associated with the projects should be identified, along with proposed mitigation strategies to address potential challenges [17]. - The budget preparation process should involve extensive communication with business departments to ensure alignment and support for the proposed initiatives [19]. Conclusion - A successful digital budget is the result of thorough communication with business units, clarifying resource allocation and business value relationships, while adopting an investor mindset to maximize returns and control risks [20].