Good/Better/Best budget

A budget built as three columns rather than one, each a genuine costed version of the same event. Good is the minimum viable event, stripped to what still makes it worth attending and runnable on money already secured. Better adds the things that make it feel finished. Best adds whatever makes the event memorable, and is only unlocked if the income arrives. The structure exists to remove cancellation from the table: because Good is always affordable, a slow sponsorship season changes the event’s size, not its existence. Its partner is the go/no-go date, the moment you look at signed income and pick the column. Every column carries its own contingency line, and moving up a column is a decision to spend, not a hope.

Source: DevOpsDays Organizing Guide, which prescribes it by name: “Have a tiered budget for a Good, Better, Best. A Good version of your conference has the bare minimum… Whatever is a minimum viable event for you, have that planned. Then have a Better version that costs a bit more but has those nice to haves. Then have a Best version where you can add the fun things that make your event unique.” The guide also notes the honest limit: some cities can’t build a Good version at all, because every available venue carries food and beverage minimums.

First used in: 1.4 · The money: three-tier budgeting.