About Forecasts

About Forecasts

Forecasts help you predict future revenue by estimating how much will be billed in a given period—week, month, or year. They give a clear view of how current jobs are expected to perform, allowing better planning and decision-making.

Creating Forecasts

• Forecasts are automatically generated when an estimate is accepted.
• The initial forecast can change if jobs are delayed, progress slower than expected, or scope changes.

Keeping Forecasts Accurate

• Review forecasts weekly and after each month’s invoicing.
• Underperforming: You billed less than forecasted. Either bill more this period or move the remaining forecast to a future period.
• Overperforming: You billed more than forecasted. This can affect future periods if work is pulled forward.
• Focus on real-time accuracy rather than correcting past forecasts to maintain a reliable forward view.

Client Forecast Jobs

• Some job types support broader client forecasts, such as annual budgets without specific jobs.
• As work is identified, new jobs and estimates feed into the Sales Pipeline.

Sales Pipeline

• Shows all unaccepted estimates.
• Helps forecast when they are likely to be accepted and billed.
• Only estimates below 100% rating appear in the pipeline.

Billings Forecast

• Automatically created when an estimate is accepted (100% rated).
• Can also be entered manually for jobs without estimates.
• Based on the job’s estimate/quote and job type template.

Revenue Forecast Reports

Combine data from:

• Client Forecast Jobs
• Sales Pipeline
• Billings Forecast

Reportable metrics include:

• Billings: Gross invoiced amount (ex-GST)
• Direct Costs: External costs tied to billings
• Revenue: Billings minus direct costs
• In-house Costs: Internal time and materials
• Income: Revenue minus in-house costs

Overhead Budgets

• Each division has an overhead job to track expenses.
• Budgets for these jobs roll up into financial reports for division-level insights.