Overview:

The Cashflow module is completely dependant on the Contract Forecast being completed before it can be utilised, and will generate itself automatically when a Forecast is generated. Cashflow is calculated at the Work Centre level for each Job in the Contract using the Forecast Final Cost figure generated during forecasting. The objective is to spread the cost figure across the duration of the project as a whole or preferrably the duration of each Work Centre. Work Centre dates can be entered in Contract Work Centres, enabling the use of the "Even Spread across Work Centre Dates" option.

The use of this screen differs from other tables in Workbench in that you can manipulate and select cells in a spreadsheet-like manner. You can click and drag to select multiple cells as well as click and drag the bottom right corner of cells to copy the contents vertically or horizontally. You can even copy/paste to and from spreadsheets, supporting the ability to perform data manipulation in Excel or Numbers then transferring the results back. As this screen can be horizontally expansive, you can minimise your Site Map Menu for more space, or even stretch your browser over multiple monitors.

Note that values displayed are rounded to the nearest whole number without decimals.

Screen Guide:

After selecting a Job Code and Cashflow Period, the table will be populated with all available data from that Job (including Subjobs) and Period. Remember, a forecast must be generated to display data in the table. You can manually populate each cell in the desired period until the Variance reaches 0, or you can use one of the spreading functions below. Display Period is a value distinct from the Cashflow Period and sets the initial period of the 24-month visible window. The Prior column displays the total value of cashflow not visible in the current 24 month visible window.

The Spread button offers the following options to spread the To Complete value across periods (note that you must highlight the line(s) you wish to spread by clicking on the left-most cell):

• Period Weighting from proportions entered: This method spreads the To Complete value based on the values entered in the highlighted row. This is useful for spreading leftover amounts from previous periods into the remaining periods. Another use case example would be if there are five periods that you want to spread amounts across evenly, you could enter "20" in each period to allocate 20% of the budget to each period. Alternatively, if you expect to spend more in the beginning, you could enter "40", "30", "10", "10", "10" in each respective column to allocate the matching percentage to that field. This example is replicated below, before and after spreading:

• Even Spread across Work Centre Dates: This method utilises Start/End Dates to begin and end the spread for each individual Work Centre. This is useful if you have Work Centres that have an intentional beginning and end to prevent spreading values into periods in which work will not be done. Below is a example:

• • Since most projects are not evenly distributed, even within Work Centres, it is advisable to adjust the spread values to match realistic expectations of expenditure and revenue.
• Move spread by a specified number of periods: This option combines with the "Number of Periods" field to move a line or lines forward or backwards by a number of periods. This is useful in situations where a Work Centre is delayed or moved ahead. You may enter negative values in the Number of Periods field to bring the cells backwards.

• Job Code is the Job or Subjob in the Contract. Rows are sorted by this column by default.
• Work Centre is the Contract Work Centre that you want to spread the Cashflow for.
• Description is the custom text given to each Work Centre in Contract Work Centres.
• Start Date can be adjusted in the table or set in Contract Work Centres. The period that is set will be considered the first period for spreading purposes.
• End Date can be adjusted in the table or set in Contract Work Centres. The period that is set will be considered the last period for spreading purposes.
• To Complete is the "Forecast Final Cost" value taken from the Contract Forecast for the matching period.
• Variance is the difference between the To Complete value and the sum total of all values spread through this row's periods. The goal is to bring this value to 0 to fully allocate expected expenditure for this Work Centre.
• Prior displays the total value of cashflow not visible in the current 24 month visible window.
• Year/Period Columns are the future periods to spread Cashflow into. Each column is marked with a letter(s) similar to spreadsheet labelling, assisting with the transition from spreadsheet to Workbench Cashflow.
• Revenue (last detail row on the grid) the calculated value depends on the 'Cashflow Revenue To Complete' control parameter:
  • If set to 'Receipt' (or not set), then the Cashflow screen Revenue to Complete is calculated as Contract Budget Revenue - Receipts ex GST.
    

    The Receipts figure shown on the Summary tab is GST Incl, so to see the GST Excl value you need to look on the Receipts tab.
  • If set to ‘Invoice’ then the Revenue to Complete is calculated as Contract Revenue - Contract Claims to Date ex GST.
• Print is a shared list of reports for the Contract module, but there are specific Cashflow reports available to provide a formatted document for presentation or review.
• Approve is available (but optional) and controlled by the user's Role whether they can approve or unapprove Cashflow.
• Save must be clicked if any data has changed in the table. Note that if Start/End Dates are changed in the table, you must click save before attempting to spread the cashflow by date.

Next Steps:

Use Print to create formatted reports and Approve to prevent any further changes by those without approval authority.