You (the portfolio planner) can change the start dates of planned projects, but you cannot change the start dates of the projects that are in execution stage.
When you change a start date, Unifier shifts the end date to preserve the project duration. Unifier also shifts the cash flow numbers (excluding pre-actuals) left, or right, to preserve the cash flow distribution.
To change a start date:
- Double-click the date in the Start Date column. Unifier displays a calendar.
- Choose the new date from the calendar and press the Enter key on your keyboard.
Unifier shifts the end date and the cash flow numbers to reflect the change.
Before date change:
After date change:
How Unifier Distributes Cash Flow
Unifier stores all cash flow amounts by month in the database. The logic Unifier uses to distribute cash flow dollars is rendered in monthly allocations and presented as follows:
- If you move the start date backwards by (for example) three months, Unifier will move all the cash flow amounts (excluding the pre-actuals column) left by three months and display a zero dollar amount in the last three month columns for that year. Amounts from the following fiscal year will not move left.
- If you move a start date forward by three months, Unifier will move all the cash flow amounts (excluding the pre-actuals column) right by three months and display a zero dollar amount in the first three month columns. The cash flow amounts will continue to move forward in time, replacing the values of the next three months with the values of the past three months. If the cash flows through multiple years, the total for the next year will increase by the three months’ amount, and the monthly cash flow for the last three months of the previous year will replace the new year’s first three months. The rest of the new year’s monthly values will move forward three columns.