Financial Analytics · Forecasting

Forecast the result and the cash: the P&L by rolling forecast, the next 13 weeks by the direct method, the year by the indirect method.

Three forecasts built from closed actuals and reconciled to each other. FP&A gets a driver-based P&L forecast with every round kept. Treasury gets a weekly cash forecast from receipts and payments, and the CFO a monthly one that explains why the year's cash differs from the year's profit.

The situation

Does this sound familiar?

What is inside

What we forecast

The P&L, by rolling forecast

Budget, rolling forecast and actual side by side per entity and cost category. The annual plan and every forecast round kept and comparable. Variance explained by driver, with the AI layer writing the commentary. The full-year outlook: actual to date plus the forecast for the remaining months.

Cash, next 13 weeks: direct method

Receipts and payments week by week: collections expected from open receivables, adjusted for how each client actually pays; payment runs from open payables; payroll, tax, intercompany settlements, capex and debt service. Refreshed every week.

Cash, next 12 to 18 months: indirect method

Month by month from the forecast operating profit: plus non-cash items, less the change in working capital from receivables, payables and inventory or work in progress, less capex, tax and financing flows.

The two cash methods, reconciled

Where the horizons overlap, the direct and the indirect forecast are compared and the difference is explained, so treasury and FP&A work from one cash number.

Consolidation, currency and scenarios

Every forecast consolidated up the entity hierarchy with the same eliminations and currency rates as the actuals, with base and downside scenarios in the platform.

Works with the planning and treasury systems you run, such as OneStream, Oracle Hyperion, Anaplan, Workday Adaptive Planning, CCH Tagetik, Kyriba or SAP Treasury, on any ERP and data platform. See the full list

The data behind it

What each forecast is built from

The P&L and the indirect cash forecast run on what the finance warehouse already holds. The direct forecast adds six feeds.

P&LCash, directCash, indirectrolling forecastnext 13 weeks12 to 18 monthsInputWhere it comes fromALREADY IN THE FINANCE WAREHOUSEADDED FOR CASH FORECASTINGActuals by entity and accountAnnual plan and forecast roundsOpen receivables, with due datesOpen payables, with due datesWork in progress and inventoryBank and debt balances, month-endDepreciation and tax accountsDaily bank statementsPayment history per clientPayroll and tax calendarsLoan repayment schedulesCapex plan and open purchase ordersIntercompany settlement calendargeneral ledgerplanning systemERPERPERPgeneral ledgergeneral ledgerbank feeds or treasury systemERP receiptsHR and payroll, taxtreasury systemplanning, procurementgroup treasury
What it looks like

Both cash methods, side by side

Cash, next 13 weeks: direct methodCash, next 12 months: indirect methodW1W4W8W13ReceiptsPaymentsClosing cash120+20−35−25−3050OperatingprofitNon-cashitemsWorkingcapitalCapexTax andfinancingNet cashflowReconciled with the direct method where they overlapIllustrative figures, millions
Why build it

What it pays back

The direct method tells treasury what the bank balance will be in six weeks. The indirect method tells the CFO why the year's cash differs from the year's profit. A group needs both, and they have to agree where their horizons overlap.

Global manufacturing group

After a major acquisition

  • Forecasting standardised and automated end to end, with the regional templates retired.
Global professional services group

Variance commentary, automated

  • More than 4,000 hours a year of variance commentary, now written by the AI layer.

Read the full case study

Rolling forecast

A driver-based rolling forecast and reforecast pack on live actuals.

Value: recurring cost reduction

13-week cash flow

A forward 13-week cash view per entity from receivables, payables and payroll, refreshed every week.

Value: cash and financing

FX exposure

Currency exposure and margin impact per entity, and a netting view, so hedging decisions rest on exposure treasury can see.

Value: cash and financing

Ask for a reference call under NDA

Questions

Questions a CFO asks.

Cash

Which cash forecasting method do you use, direct or indirect?

Both. The direct method, built from receipts and payments, covers the next 13 weeks. The indirect method, built from the forecast P&L and working capital, covers the next 12 to 18 months. Where they overlap, we reconcile them.

Do you replace our planning or treasury tool?

No. The platform feeds the systems you run, such as OneStream, Anaplan or Kyriba, with closed actuals and open items, and brings every forecast back next to the actuals.

P&L forecast

Can we keep and compare every forecast round?

Yes. The annual plan and every forecast round are kept per entity and cost category, so any round can be compared with the actuals and with each other.

Next step

Bring last month's cash forecast to a thirty-minute call.

We look at how it is built today, and what a direct and an indirect forecast would take for your group.

We reply within one business day. No newsletter, no sequence.