Diverging variance bars
Cloud hosting and contractor spend offset hiring delay savings
Try in PlaygroundExample brief
The budget variance shows that cloud hosting is over budget by 4.8 CHFm and contractors by 3.6 CHFm, while travel and software licenses are also over budget by 1.2 and 0.9 CHFm respectively. However, there are savings in training, office costs, recruiting, and FTE payroll by 0.8, 1.0, 2.1, and 3.4 CHFm. The net variance is 3.2m over budget, with a caution that savings from hiring delays are temporary, but cloud overspend is structural.
Render it
Structured intent — create_slide payload
Copy-paste-ready. Renders deterministically (verbatim, no LLM). Add a theme_id for any of the built-in themes — the layout stays identical.
{
"form": "bar_rank_chart",
"variant": "diverging_variance_bar",
"headline": "Cloud hosting and contractor spend offset most of the savings from hiring delays",
"context": "Budget variance vs plan by cost category (CHFm; + = over budget)",
"caution": "Savings from hiring delays are temporary; cloud run-rate is structural. Net +3.2m vs plan.",
"source_note": "FP&A forecast, May 2026",
"data": {
"unit": "",
"categories": [
{
"label": "Cloud hosting",
"value": 4.8,
"display": "+4.8",
"emphasis": "primary",
"tone": "bad"
},
{
"label": "Contractors",
"value": 3.6,
"display": "+3.6",
"tone": "bad"
},
{
"label": "Travel",
"value": 1.2,
"display": "+1.2",
"tone": "warn"
},
{
"label": "Software licenses",
"value": 0.9,
"display": "+0.9",
"tone": "warn"
},
{
"label": "Training",
"value": -0.8,
"display": "-0.8",
"tone": "neutral"
},
{
"label": "Office costs",
"value": -1,
"display": "-1.0",
"tone": "good"
},
{
"label": "Recruiting",
"value": -2.1,
"display": "-2.1",
"tone": "good"
},
{
"label": "FTE payroll",
"value": -3.4,
"display": "-3.4",
"tone": "good"
}
],
"takeaways": [
"Cloud and contractor spend are the swing factors",
"Hiring-delay savings only partly offset the overruns",
"Renegotiate cloud commitments before year-end",
"Treat the contractor overrun as structural, not timing"
]
}
}cURL (REST)
curl -X POST https://dev-api.slideforge.dev/v1/render/intent \
-H "Authorization: Bearer sf_live_..." \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"form":"bar_rank_chart","variant":"diverging_variance_bar","headline":"Cloud hosting and contractor spend offset most of the savings from hiring delays","context":"Budget variance vs plan by cost category (CHFm; + = over budget)","caution":"Savings from hiring delays are temporary; cloud run-rate is structural. Net +3.2m vs plan.","source_note":"FP&A forecast, May 2026","data":{"unit":"","categories":[{"label":"Cloud hosting","value":4.8,"display":"+4.8","emphasis":"primary","tone":"bad"},{"label":"Contractors","value":3.6,"display":"+3.6","tone":"bad"},{"label":"Travel","value":1.2,"display":"+1.2","tone":"warn"},{"label":"Software licenses","value":0.9,"display":"+0.9","tone":"warn"},{"label":"Training","value":-0.8,"display":"-0.8","tone":"neutral"},{"label":"Office costs","value":-1,"display":"-1.0","tone":"good"},{"label":"Recruiting","value":-2.1,"display":"-2.1","tone":"good"},{"label":"FTE payroll","value":-3.4,"display":"-3.4","tone":"good"}],"takeaways":["Cloud and contractor spend are the swing factors","Hiring-delay savings only partly offset the overruns","Renegotiate cloud commitments before year-end","Treat the contractor overrun as structural, not timing"]}}'Related templates
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Frequently asked questions
How do I render the Diverging variance bars template?
Send a POST to /v1/render/auto with a brief, or call create_slide via MCP with the structured intent shown below. The response includes an editable .pptx, a PDF, and a PNG. $0.05 per slide.
Does an AI write the slide?
No. SlideForge renders deterministically from a structured intent — no LLM draws the slide, so text is never mangled or fabricated. The optional brief path uses a router to pick the pattern, then renders deterministically.
Can I customize the colors and fonts?
Yes. Pass a theme_id to apply a built-in or custom brand theme; the layout stays the same.
Try this template
Render Diverging variance bars deterministically — editable PowerPoint in under a second.