The Coffee Shop exercise is a great way to get hands-on with Castaway.
It is a simple exercise that helps you see for yourself how Castaway works. You will explore some of Castaway's modelling abilities and get a small insight into what is possible.
The Scenario
You’re considering an opportunity to start a new coffee shop in your local area. You’ve spotted a good location, sketched out some designs for the interior and put together your wish list for equipment.
It's now time to develop the business case for this opportunity.
Appreciating the value of forecasting and business modelling, you start with a simple Castaway forecast to give you a sense of whether this business and investment will be financially viable.
The Exercise
The Coffee Shop Exercise is presented in 2 parts and you will need to download the attached files to obtain the supporting resources for this exercise.
Part 1 focuses on building a simple forecast quickly.
This should take 10-20 minutes and covers:
- Creating a Chart of Accounts
- Setting Element properties
- Adding forecast data to the Elements
- Linking Elements and using KPI's to forecast results
- Modelling different cashflow behaviours
It's not necessary to follow immediate with Part 2. Proceed when and if you're ready.
In Part 2, we extend our thinking and add some dynamic modelling options for better analysis of different growth scenarios.
Part 2 should also take 10-20 minutes and introduces you to:
- Forecasting based on operations and activity drivers
- Creating Driver elements
- Creating Element formulas
Attempt the exercise and for the Coffee Shop Model by downloading the appropriate files from this page.
We will provide correct answers to the exercise for any customers who want them. Please contact our Customer Success team if you'd like the results.
Coffee Shop Model - Australia
2212 - Coffee Shop AU Exercise - Part 1.pdf
2212 - Coffee Shop AU Exercise - Part 2.pdf
Coffee Shop Model - New Zealand
2212 - Coffee Shop NZ Exercise - Part 1.pdf
2212 - Coffee Shop NZ Exercise - Part 2.pdf
Coffee Shop Model - United Kingdom
2212 - Coffee Shop UK Exercise - Part 1.pdf
2212 - Coffee Shop UK Exercise - Part 2.pdf