Budget forecasting and trends

Predict future spending based on current trends.

View spending trends

1. Go to Budget & Finance
2. Look for the Trends or Forecast chart
3. See monthly spending over time:

Q1:  $50k (month 1) → $90k (month 2) → $130k (month 3)
Q2:  $60k (month 4) → $100k (month 5) → $140k (month 6) → projected $180k (month 7)

Forecast future spending

1. Click Forecast or Trending
2. See a projection of where you’ll end at quarter-end or year-end

If the trend continues:

• Current spending: $500k through month 9
• Projected year-end: $650k
• Budget: $600k
• Projected overrun: $50k

Adjust forecast parameters

Some forecasts let you adjust:

1. Burn rate — Spending velocity per week/month
2. Headcount changes — Adding/removing people affects spend
3. Project timeline — If a project extends, spending extends

Change parameters to see how they affect forecast.

Early warning

Use forecasting to catch overruns early:

1. If forecast shows a $50k overrun in month 8, you have time to:
   • Request budget increase
   • Defer work
   • Reduce scope
2. Don’t wait until month 12 to react

Incorporate scenarios

If you’re using Scenario Planning:

1. Create a budget scenario for each staffing scenario
2. See how hiring affects your spend
3. Use this to make hiring decisions

See Scenario-based budget planning.

Share forecasts

Export your forecast:

Use in planning meetings

Click Export in Trends

Share with leadership