Cashout Forecast

Modified on Mon, 9 Jun at 12:37 PM

Cashout Forecast is a spend forecast. To profile/forecast out your budget, you will select the Cashout forecast and enter the values in monthly columns.

The page is split into three panels which can be adjusted in terms of size and which columns are displayed.

Left Panel

The left-hand panel shows the information you choose to display in the “Settings”, e.g., account codes, account descriptions, forecast amounts, etc.

Middle Panel

The middle panel shows monthly Budget, Forecast and Actuals.

You can select the columns you want to view via “Show” on the Cashout Forecast toolbar and use the drop-down list to turn on/off the columns you want to view in the middle and right panels.

You can select the forecasting year you want to display in in the middle panel via “Forecast Year” on the toolbar and use the dropdown list.

The middle panel displays your chosen forecasting year and the “Show” option(s) e.g., Budget.

Right Panel

The right panel shows yearly totals. These totals roll up the structure; with the final project cost, revenue and margin displayed at the bottom.

Cashout - Function Bar

The Cashout function bar options are outlined below:

Currency:

Use the Drop-down to toggle between currencies, for example the project could be in a local currency but the global reporting currency might be different. The exchange rates are stored and taken from the System Currency Table.

Show:

From the drop-down you can select to turn on/off the Budget, Forecast and Actual columns in the middle and right panels.

Reporting Period:

Shows month/year. This is automatically set by the system.

Forecasting Year:

The year selected from the dropdown will be displayed in the middle panel with the monthly Budget, Forecast and Actual columns, as selected.

Reprofile

This setting allows a user to bulk reprofile all cost lines not on the curve type “Manual”. This bulk redistributing action saves the user from distributing out the remaining budget, in accordance with the systems Distribution Rules.

Click REPROFILE

The following confirmation “Forecast profiling successfully started” will display.

See section below ‘Distribution’ for more details.

Settings

You can manage what columns to display and set the order for the left/right panels in settings.

Click SETTINGS

The following pane will open where you can select the columns you want to display in the left and right panels.

Click SAVE

Your chosen columns will be visible in the Cashout Forecast.

Export

Export downloads an excel copy of the Cashout Forecast (columns and rows only).

Expand

Click the Expand icon to view the Cashout Forecast in full screen.

Cashout – Bottom Function Bar

On the bottom function bar to the left, you can view the Version, Last Updated Date and Last Financial Upload and to the right you have the TRANSFER BUDGET TO FORECAST, SAVE and SUBMIT buttons.

Version:

The user can Save the Cost Book and Cashout changes at any point in time. Saving is not version controlled.

The Submit button on the Cashout screen automatically creates a Version of both screens (Cost Book and Cashout Forecast) at that point in time. The user can label the version with their own title.

You can cycle back through previous versions to see historic versions, by clicking the Version drop-down arrow to open the list.

Click the Version you want to view from the drop-down list.

Clicking on a Version will result in it being displayed on screen in read only format.

Last Update Date

This shows the last date and time the Cashout Forecast was updated by the user.

Last Financial Upload

This shows the last date and time the Cashout Forecast was updated with a SAP import file.

Save

To save any changes that you have entered into manually editable cells

Click SAVE

A success confirmation will be displayed in the top right corner of the screen.

Submit

Click Submit.

This opens the following pane where you need to enter a name (compulsory field). You can label the version with your own title.

Click SAVE. The following success message be displayed in the top right corner of the screen.

The submitted Cashout Forecast creates an iteration of the Cost Book and Cashout Forecast at that point in time.

Distribution

Automatic distribution is available in the Cashout Forecast.

Budget Distribution

Cost data is profiled into B column.

Data will be added in the past if the associated duration (Project, Task(s) or Custom) includes previous periods less than the current calendar month.

The value the system will distribute is the Current Control Estimate.

Forecast Distribution

Cost data is profiled into F column.

Data will only be profiled into the Forecast column from current period on.

The system will not place any data into the forecasts less than the current calendar month.

If associated duration is all in the past, i.e., less than current month, no remaining value regardless of curve type will be distributed by the system.

The value the system will distribute is the Final Forecast – Total Actuals (*includes all actuals including current month).

In the Cashout forecast, the editable fields are in the future (because you cannot forecast in the past) and you can enter numbers into these fields, if you are manually forecasting (Manual Curve).

Alternatively, you can automatically forecast using the Forecast Distribution curves that have been configured by your System Administrator (Bell Curve; Linear Curve).

Note: If no distribution curves have been configured, the only option available will be Manual.

To automatically distribute your cost estimate

Click the Manual curve hyperlink, in the Forecast Distribution Column.

In our example we are looking at Account: 200, Description: Heat Pumps:

The “Edit Distribution Type” pane will open:-

Select the distribution curve from the drop-down list in “Distribution Profile”.

Note: Distribution Curves are configured by your system administrator. If none have been configured the only option available will be Manual.

If user selects the Distribution Profile as Manual, no additional fields will be visible only Save.

If a user chooses any Distribution Profile that is not Manual, a second field named Profile Duration will then appear.

In our example, we are using “Bell Curve”.

Select the Profile Duration: Project /Task /Custom

Project Duration – start and finish dates will be calculated from the full project Gantt.
Task(s) Duration – start and finish dates will be calculated from a task or tasks chosen by the user from the Gantt.
Custom Duration – start and finish dates will be as specified by the user.

If you select the Profile Duration as Project Duration, no additional fields will be visible only SAVE.

If you choose the Profile Duration of Task(s) Duration, the field “Related Task(s)” will then appear.

Click into the “Related Tasks” field. Select the tasks from the drop-down multiselect list of all tasks in the Gantt.

If you choose the Profile Duration of Custom Duration, the fields From Date and To Date will then appear.

Choose the From Date/To Date you want to view using the calendar pop out of Month and Years.

Click SAVE

The curve has changed to “Bell Curve” in the Forecast Distribution column.

The cells are no longer editable, because the system has distributed the cost estimate figure (or remaining cost estimate figure, if any actuals have already been incurred) automatically for the remaining period of your project.

Financial Management

The Cost Book and Cashout Forecast details roll up to the account codes, and the summary data of information is pushed to the Forecast in Financial Management.

The summary values enter the Financial Management database table and this is what drives the Financial Management Widget. The Widget can be changed to display monthly, quarterly, etc.