# Physical prototype testing budget worksheet

Blank editorial planning aid from nuspb.org, 16 October 2026.
Companion guide: https://nuspb.org/blog/prototype-testing-budget-worksheet/
No market prices or test results supplied. Blank means unknown, not zero.

## Scope

| Field | Entry |
|---|---|
| Project / round / budget version / date |  |
| Learning question and decision to inform |  |
| Build ID, sketch/photos and known limits |  |
| Task, setup and observation plan reference |  |
| Participants, session count and schedule |  |
| Currency code |  |
| Scope: additional cash for this round OR full project expenditure |  |
| Earlier build spend reference / whether included |  |
| Available cash and decision owner |  |

## Cost entries

Duplicate rows as needed. Quantity units must match price units. Use payable packs or booking units. Put a bundled charge on one row and do not price its included activities twice.

| Item / scope | Quantity + unit | Unit price + currency | Price source / date / inclusions | Cash subtotal | In-kind contribution + availability | Unknown / owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Samples or allocated build work |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| Fixture / setup / rehearsal |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| Consumables / reset |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| Facilitation / note-taking / review |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| Recruitment / participant arrangements |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| Room / equipment / supervision |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| Delivery / tax / other applicable charges |  |  |  |  |  |  |

Cash subtotal for each priced row = payable quantity x confirmed unit price.
Current-round confirmed cash subtotal = sum of included cash subtotals.
Add fixed charges only if they are absent from other subtotals.
Do not treat a partial subtotal as a complete budget.

| Review field | Entry |
|---|---|
| Confirmed current-round cash subtotal |  |
| Unresolved essential rows / responsible person / confirmation date |  |
| In-kind resource / owner / confirmed availability / backup |  |
| Any reserve chosen / reason / authoriser |  |
| Excluded work / reason |  |

## Optional next round — outside current-round total

| Proposed question / trigger | Changed build or preparation | Reusable items and confirmed access | Repeated work / unit / actual cost evidence | Optional cash subtotal | Unknown / owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|  |  |  |  |  |  |

## Before authorising

- Does every essential resource support the written question?
- Are quantities and billing units consistent?
- Does each price have a source, date, currency and scope?
- Are bundled charges, taxes and delivery counted only once?
- Is zero additional cash backed by confirmed access or a confirmed arrangement?
- Are donated time and borrowed resources visible separately?
- Are cancellation terms and repeated work understood where relevant?
- Are unresolved costs and dependencies assigned to someone?
- Decision: proceed / narrow the question / defer:
- Decision owner and date:
- Next review trigger:

For low-risk formative learning only. No safety, durability, certification or production-cost conclusion follows from this budget.