Yes, there are a few policies and processes Maria could implement to address the inconsistent budget estimates from her program managers:
Develop standardized budget guidelines and templates that clearly outline the required formats, projections, historical comparisons, and supporting details expected in budget submissions. This promotes consistency.
Schedule one-on-one meetings with Paolo and Francisca to review their draft budgets, discuss observed issues privately, align on expectations, and agree on an action plan to address concerns through collaborative revision.
Implement a peer review process where program managers share draft budgets for input and feedback from colleagues. This allows identification of unrealistic projections and helps reach balanced budgets across programs.
Require multiple budget drafts to enable refinement and course-correction based on Maria's feedback over multiple iterations. Comparing proposals to previous years' spending could highlight questionable estimates.
Ask for detailed justification and supporting documents to substantiate all budget proposals that seem inflated or deflated compared to historical norms. This evidence can back up realistic revisions.
The goal should be facilitating an open, structured, and accountable budgeting process for reasonable and equitable allocation of resources to all programs.