Who this is for, and the moment
Most questions are small. One number for one period. What they cost is the finding: which file, which tab, which row. I think these are the questions Grounded should answer in about the time it takes to type them, with the cell attached so checking takes one click.
The question, as typed
“What was revenue for May 2026, against budget?”
The answer
GroundedMay 2026 revenue was £21.063m actual versus £20.753m budget, a £0.310m favourable variance. The pack is stated in £’000, and variances are actual less budget. 3637
£21.063m for the month against £20.753m budget, £0.310m favourable. £‘000, actual less budget, as the pack states it. Chips: Monthly Reporting Pack May-26, Consolidated P&L.
The citation clicked
The pack opens on the revenue row with the cell highlighted. The unit note (‘000) comes from the sheet header; Grounded read it there rather than assuming it.
The trust chain
Three figures, each traced to the pack: the actual, the budget and the variance, which the pack carries in its own column. Nothing was computed on the way.
More of the same
- “What was SSR’s total revenue for March FY26?” $319.2M, month actual. MTD P&L.
- “What is the FY26 full-year revenue plan?” The AOP figure, labelled plan, never presented as an actual.
- “What was total capital spend year to date through April?” $2,811.8M, Capital Spend by Program.
- “What was Ocean Runner’s ridership year to date?” One row in the route file.
What to notice
- A plan figure is always labelled plan. Ask for June revenue when only the budget has a June column and it declines instead of quoting the budget as if it were actual (which is the one that bites).
- Units are cited rather than inferred. The ‘000 in the header is part of the answer.
- Twelve to twenty seconds, $0.18 median per question, from the engineering record.
Video
The Caldergate walkthrough, first question.
Related
Use cases: Hard queries · The 4:45 Friday question · It says no.
Post: Analysis is answering questions, but three-quarters of it is finding things.