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My forecast doesn't look right

Fix a bluprnts forecast that doesn't look right — the usual causes behind wrong cash, missing revenue, a short runway or a strange-looking statement.

Most "the forecast is wrong" moments come down to a handful of causes. Work down the list — they're in the order they usually turn out to be true.

The whole forecast looks wrong#

Check which scenario is applied. The scenario picker in the page header reads Base case when you're on your committed plan, and the scenario's name with a pulsing dot when one is applied. A scenario left applied is the single most common cause of numbers that "changed on their own". See Set the working case.

Check which projects are switched on. A project toggled on adds its products, sales, people and costs to everything. See Add or edit a project.

Check your forecast window. If the dates aren't what you think, every column is measuring something other than what you expect. See Forecast window.

There's no revenue#

A product on its own generates nothing. Products are the catalogue; sales are what produce revenue. Adding a product without adding sales that sell it leaves the forecast flat. See Add or edit a sale.

Check the sale's dates. A sale dated outside the forecast window contributes nothing to it.

Profit looks fine but cash doesn't#

This is usually correct rather than broken, and it's the thing bluprnts exists to show you. Revenue counts on the invoice date; cash arrives when the customer pays. The gap is set by your payment terms.

Three usual culprits:

  • Debtor days — you're being paid later than you're selling.
  • VAT — collected on sales long before it's handed over to HMRC.
  • Loan repayments — capital repayments move cash and never appear on the profit and loss.

See Bank balance & cash position.

The runway is shorter than expected#

Look at the lowest cash point, not the closing balance. A plan that ends the year with money in the bank can still go negative in month four. The Runway dashboard shows when, and the timeline above the ribbon shows what's running that month.

Check what starts early. Hires and fixed costs that begin in month one, against revenue that ramps, will empty the account before the plan gets going.

The balance sheet doesn't balance#

It should always balance — the Balance check row exists to prove it and must read zero. If it doesn't, that's a bug rather than a modelling mistake. See Balance sheet.

A cost or salary is landing in the wrong place#

Check the item's own dates and its type. Costs are classified by kind, which decides whether they land in cost of sales or operating expenses — see Add or edit a cost and Cost fields.

A figure I can't explain#

Every figure traces back to the drivers that produced it. Open the line in the statement and follow it down — see Where a number comes from. Failing that, ask the assistant about the specific figure and month.