Access a project-level cash flow analysis and quickly visualize the difference between planned, actual, and forecast with built-in dynamic charts. Once budget line items are forecasted in Cost & Time, the Cash Flow tab is your centralized place to set up distribution items, run forecast adjustments, and collaborate with suppliers.

In this article:

• Cash Flow Forecasting Workflow
• Prerequisites
• Related Articles

Cash Flow Forecasting Workflow

To set up and maintain a project cash flow:

1. Forecast your budget line items in Cost & Time so they're available for distribution — see Cost & Time.
2. Add distribution items for the budgets, segments, or contracts you want to track across periods — see Distribution Items.
3. Create distributions by spreading amounts across forecast periods using distribution curves — see Create Distributions.
4. (Optional) Work with quantities for time-based resources — see Quantity Distribution.
5. Read the cash flow in the table, chart, and consolidated views to compare planned, actual, and forecast. Drag on the chart to zoom into a date range, or reset zoom to see the full timeline — see Navigate the Cash Flow Table.
6. Apply forecast adjustments as the project progresses, manually or automatically — see Forecast Adjustments.
7. (Optional) Collaborate with suppliers by inviting them to submit or update distributions — see Cash Flow Collaborative Workflow.

Prerequisites

Before working in Cash Flow, make sure these are in place:

• Forecasted budget: Budget line items must be forecasted in Cost & Time before they appear in the Cash Flow view.
• Forecast period: Project administrators set the preferred forecast period (weekly or monthly) in Forecast Settings. Once a distribution item is created, this setting cannot be changed.
• Permissions: Members need cost permissions appropriate to their role. See Cost Management Permissions.
• Collaborative access (optional): To invite suppliers, administrators turn on the Cash Flow collaborative setting in the Settings tool. See Cash Flow Collaborative Workflow.

Related Articles

Cash Flow workflow articles

• Navigate the Cash Flow Table
• Distribution Items
• Create Distributions
• Forecast Adjustments
• Quantity Distribution
• Cash Flow Collaborative Workflow

Forecast adjustments across tools

• In the Budget tool: Create Forecast Adjustments in Budgets
• Settings: Budget Forecast Configuration

Other forecast tools and workflows

• Forecast
• Cost & Time
• Performance Tracking
• Fee Analysis