Entering your Forecast into Castaway
You'll have the ability to start entering forecast information against each element once you have set up your Chart of Accounts in Castaway.
How that information is entered will be impacted by the way you have configured the Elements.
Navigate to the Element Editor Workspace
To begin entering your forecast, navigate to Forecast > Element Settings > select the Element you'd like to forecast for.
Your page will open as follows:
The panel on the left is where the Element Settings can be adjusted and the area on the right is the Element Editor where you can enter your forecast and assumptions, and review the values which will ultimately be in your Reports.
In the Element Editor, all white-coloured cells can be edited whereas the light-grey cells are calculated outputs and cannot be edited.
Click into any white cell to begin entering your forecast.
Once you have reviewed your element forecast, select Save & Close to exit this space.
If you'd like to save your work, but remain in the Element Editor, select 'Save' and continue modelling. If you'd like to exit without saving any work, click on the back arrow to return to the Chart of Accounts. Remember, if you have taken this latter option, your work won't have been saved.
Filling amounts across the grid
Save time when forecasting by allowing Castaway to fill fixed values for you, or have Castaway calculate a % growth or fixed rate to your forecast.
In the Element Editor, you'll need to right-click on the data cell you'd like to apply the change to and select from one of the available options:
Fill Right/ Fill Left options
The Fill Right/ Fill Left options will copy the data cell you started from and will paste the same value either to the Right or Left for periods in the Current Financial Year or to the start/ end of your forecast periods.
This is a great way for you to quickly populate your forecast with a fixed amount for accounts that remain consistent throughout the model e.g. Fixed Overheads.
Use the keyboard shortcuts to shave off a few more seconds. For example, to fill right to the current financial year, hold down Ctrl and the left arrow key.
Grow Line
The Grow Line option allows you to decrease/ increase your forecast value month-by-month by either a % rate or a fixed value.
Similar to the Fill option, you can choose to apply your growth to the end of your Current Financial Year or to the end of your forecast period.
Tip!
The Fill option is also handy for you to quickly clear your element forecast by entering 0 and Filling Right/Left.
Expand/collapse the view of forecast periods
Expand or collapse your view of future forecast periods by clicking on the arrow in the header.
Spread your annual forecast evenly
If you have an annual budget figure that you'd like to spread out evenly between the forecast periods in the year, you can enter the annual figure in the annual column and Castaway will spread it out evenly for you.
Note: this only applies to forecast periods.
For example: If you have 6 months of Actuals in your Financial Year with 6 months of forecast remaining, any value entered in your annual column will be spread over 6 months, not 12.