Budget planning is going from an annual planning cycle to a continuous planning cycle, in many progressive organizations.
Gone are the days of submitting a budget in Q4 and being stuck with your decisions for the next 15 months, despite changes in competitive pressure, internal prioritization, or other adjustments needed.
Astute CIO’s are making adjustments quarterly and negotiating based on changes in projects, business dynamics, etc.
It should be noted that these changes are not always increases in budget. When other business functions like Sales are under-performing, it may be necessary for IT to reduce its spend to ensure margins are met. (Just don’t forget to articulate the enterprise risk of foregoing certain projects or not hiring planned resources.)