Adding a Template for Forecast Curve or Cash Flow by CBS Summary or CBS

To add a Forecast curve for cash flow by Summary CBS or CBS template:

Go to your shell template and switch to Admin mode.
In the left Navigator, select Cost Manager, and then select Cash Flow, the start point for all cash flow operations.
From the toolbar, click + Create.
In the General pane of the Cash Flow Properties window or New Cash Flow worksheet, select any of the following options from the Detail Level drop-down list:
- Summary CBS (for summary CBS codes)
- CBS (for cash flow by individual CBS codes)
In the Curves pane of the Cash Flow Properties window, select Forecast from the Curves drop-down list.
In the Forecast window, complete the fields using the information in the tables below.

Cash Flow Properties Template Setup For a Forecast Curve by Summary CBS

When you select the Summary CBS option in the Detail Level drop-down list (General pane) and in the Curves pane you add Forecast curve (from the Curves drop-down list), proceed to set up the following parameters:

Property	Description
Cost	Note: You can choose the cost column when creating a curve in a project/shell but not in templates. Select your cost source as one of the following options: Manual: Select this option if you want to manually enter amounts for each period. You can enter cost information in the Total field on the worksheet. This option is available if you select Manual in the Distribution drop-down list. Distribute amount from Cost Sheet Column: Select this option if you want to use a default distribution profile. This option is available if you select Auto in the Distribution drop-down list. For example, columns such as Approved Budget Revisions, Approved Commitment Changes, Approved Contracts.
Schedule	Define the range of dates to use for plotting the cash flow data. These are the dates you specify to start the curve and end the curve. Note: If you choose to take dates from the schedule sheet elements, then the Master schedule sheet is used for the project/shell. Select one of the following options for each date: Manual: Select this option if you want to manually enter the date in the cash flow worksheet. Use dates from Schedule Sheet: Select this option if you want to select dates from a schedule sheet. Select a specific sheet from the Select schedule sheet drop-down list, and proceed to enter dates in the From Date and To Date fields to plot the cash flow curve. For example, Actual Start Date and Actual Finish Date. If these dates are changed on the selected schedule sheet, the changes are reflected on cash flow after the next refresh of the curves. Use dates from Activity Sheet: Select this option if you want to select dates from an activity sheet. Select a specific sheet from the Select Activity Sheet window, and proceed to specify the Project Type, From Date, To Date, and Periods for Cost Distribution to plot the cash flow curve from the selected activity sheet.
Project Type	If you set Schedule to Use dates from Activity Sheet, select the project as either Baseline or Current.
From Date	If you set Schedule to Use dates from Activity Sheet, select the start date to use for plotting the cash flow curve. If the date is changed on the selected sheet, the change is reflected on the cash flow when the curve is next refreshed.
To Date	If you set Schedule to Use dates from Activity Sheet, select the end date to use for plotting the cash flow curve. If the date is changed on the selected sheet, the change is reflected on the cash flow when the curve is next refreshed.
Distribution	Distribution profiles are used to distribute data automatically in the cash flow worksheet. Select a distribution profile to use as the default distribution profile for the curve. Select any of the following options: Manual: Select this option if you want to enter values in each field manually. Auto: Select this option if you want to specify a default distribution profile for initial display and calculations in the cash flow worksheet. If you change the distribution profile from the worksheet, the default profile is also updated to reflect the current selection. To specify a default distribution profile: Click CBS Profile Distribution button. In the Distribute by default profile CBS window: Select a predetermined distribution method (at the Company Level or Project Level) from the Set Profile drop-down list. The distribution profiles for this field are defined in the following locations: Go to the Company Workspace tab and switch to Admin mode. In the left Navigator, select Standards & Libraries, select Cash Flow, and then select Distribution Profiles. or Go to the shell tab and switch to User mode. In the left Navigator, select Cost Manager, and then select Cash Flow. From the toolbar, click Actions, and then select Manage Distribution Profiles. Select one or more WBS codes from the list, and click Update.
Variance	For Summary CBS, typically, the Variance is set to Inflow for a Baseline type curve. This value is used to calculate variances against the Outflow type curves. Your choices are: Inflow Outflow
Begin calculations at end of curve	Select this option if you want to automatically start the Forecast at the end of a selected Actual (or "spends") curve for each time period.
Replace current period forecast with Actuals on cut off date	If you select this option and the period close settings have not been specified, the Forecast curve is replaced with the Actuals (or "spends") curve at the end of the month. Note: The cumulative graph will not show the Forecast connected to Actuals (or "spends") until the system overwrites the Forecast with the Actuals.
Allow edit of current period forecast until replacement actuals	Select this option if you want to reconfigure the Forecast until the date set to replace the Forecasted values with Actuals (or "spends"). Note: If the cutoff date is not specified, but the Replace current period forecast with Actuals on cut off date and Allow edit of current period forecast until replacement by Actuals options are selected, the system does not allow edits to the Forecast curve after the end of the month.
Distribute unassigned amounts from Spends	Your options for unassigned amounts are: Using weighted average over all remaining periods Using weighted average over ___ next periods You can enter the number of time periods (1 or more) not exceeding the number of periods remaining. The options above are available only if you: Selected a default distribution profile for the curve. Selected the Begin calculations at end of curve option. If you use auto distribution for a Forecast Curve with Spends enabled and you want to use the same approach for rows that are manually overridden, select the Allow distribution of unassigned amount for manual override rows check box.
Select Baseline curve for comparison	Select a Baseline curve from the drop-down list to compare with the Forecast curve.

Cash Flow Properties Template Setup For a Forecast Curve by CBS

When you select the CBS option in the Detail Level drop-down list (General pane) and in the Curves pane you add Forecast curve (from the Curves drop-down list), proceed to set up the following parameters:

Property	Description
Bring Forecast Data From	Specify the source of your baseline data. Select any of the following options: General: Select this option if you want to bring data from a general CBS code. Schedule Sheet: Select this option if you want to choose a schedule sheet and view the cost distribution information by CBS. To use data from schedule sheet, click the select icon to open and select a schedule sheet in the Select Schedule Sheet window. P6 Summary Sheet: Select this option if you want to use cost and dates information from P6 Summary Sheet (spread), based on the P6 Data Sources. Proceed to specify the Data Type. The P6 Data Sources are listed in the Cashflow Data Sources window. (To access this window, go to the Company Workspace tab and switch to Admin mode; in the left Navigator, select Standards & Libraries, select Cash Flow, and then select Data Sources.) The data picker lists all the P6 data sources. The P6 data sources are listed in the Cashflow Datasources window. (To access this window, go to the Company Workspace tab and switch to Admin mode; in the left Navigator, select Standards & Libraries, select Cash Flow, and then select Data Sources.) Activity Sheet: Select this option if you want to use cost and dates information from an activity sheet. Proceed to specify the Sheet Name, Project Type, Cost and Schedule & Distribution. Note: Cash flow worksheet data will not show accurate amounts when multiple CBS Codes are associated with a single resource. If you assign a resource to multiple activities with multiple CBS codes in the Activity Sheet and the cash flow curve has Baseline selected as the Project Type, the curve data will be incorrect. (Required) Select your cost source from the Cost drop down list. Your options are: From Activity Sheet Column From Cost Sheet Column (Required) Select the schedule and distribution method from the Schedule & Distribution drop-down list.
Data Type	This field displays if you chose to Bring Baseline Data From a P6 Summary Sheet. Select any of the following values: At Completion: Select this option if you want to draw the Baseline curve using the At Completion Cost spread. Planned: Select this option if you want to draw the Baseline curve using the Planned Cost spread.
Sheet Name	If you set Bring Baseline Data From to Activity Sheet, select an activity sheet.
Project Type	If you set Bring Baseline Data From to Activity Sheet, select the project as either Baseline or Current.
Cost	Note: You can choose the cost column when creating a curve in a project/shell but not in templates. Select one of the following options: Manual: Select this cost option if you want to manually enter amounts for each period. This option will be available if you selected the Distribution as Manual. This allows you enter cost information in the Total field on the worksheet. From Activity Sheet Column: This cost option displays if you chose to Bring Baseline Data From an Activity Sheet. Select a column from the Activity Sheet such as At Completion Cost, Planned Cost, or Remaining Cost, and so forth. From Cost Sheet Column: This cost option displays if you chose to Bring Baseline Data From an Activity Sheet. and want to use a default distribution profile. This option is available if you selected the Distribution field value as Auto. From the drop-down list, select a column name such as Approved Budget Revisions, Approved Commitment Changes, Approved Contracts, and so forth.
Schedule & Distribution	If you set Bring Baseline Data From to Activity Sheet, select a column for the Schedule & Distribution method.
Schedule	Define the range of dates to use for plotting the cash flow data. These are the dates you specify to start the curve and end the curve. Note: If you choose to take dates from the schedule sheet elements, then the Master schedule sheet is used for the project/shell. Select one of the following options for each date: Manual: Select this option if you want to manually enter the date in the cash flow worksheet. Use dates from Schedule Sheet: Select this option if you want to select dates from a schedule sheet. Select a specific sheet from the Select schedule sheet drop-down list, and proceed to enter dates in the From Date and To Date fields to plot the cash flow curve. For example, Actual Start Date and Actual Finish Date. If these dates are changed on the selected schedule sheet, the changes are reflected on cash flow after the next refresh of the curves. Use dates from Activity Sheet: Select this option if you want to select dates from an activity sheet. Select a specific sheet from the Select Activity Sheet window, and proceed to specify the Project Type, From Date, To Date, and Periods for Cost Distribution to plot the cash flow curve from the selected activity sheet.
From Date	If you set Schedule to Use dates from Schedule Sheet or Use dates from Activity Sheet, select the start date to use for plotting the cash flow curve.
To Date	If you set Schedule to Use dates from Schedule Sheet or Use dates from Activity Sheet, select the end date to use for plotting the cash flow curve.
Distribution	Distribution profiles are used to distribute data automatically in the cash flow worksheet. This option lets you select a distribution profile to use as the default distribution profile for the curve. Manual: Select this option if you want to enter values into each field manually. Auto: Select this option if you want to specify a default distribution profile for initial display and calculations in the cash flow worksheet. If you change the distribution profile from the worksheet, the default profile is also updated to reflect the current selection. To specify a default distribution profile: Click the CBS Profile Distribution button. In the Distribute by default profile CBS window: Select a predetermined method for distribution (at the Company Level or Project Level) from the Set Profile drop-down list. The distribution profiles for this field are defined in the following locations: Go to the Company Workspace tab and switch to Admin mode. In the left Navigator, select Standards & Libraries, select Cash Flow, and then select Distribution Profiles. or Go to the shell tab and switch to User mode. In the left Navigator, select Cost Manager, and then select Cash Flow. From the toolbar, click Actions, and then select Manage Distribution Profiles. Select one or more WBS codes from the list, and click Update. Note: The Auto option is selected by default, if you selected the Schedule option as Use Dates from Activity. Additionally, if you also selected the Periods for Cost Distribution option as Honor working days, then Auto displays as a read-only field, and you can no longer select a default distribution profile.
Periods for Cost Distribution	This field displays only if you have selected the Schedule option as Use Dates from Activity Sheet, and Distribution as Auto. Select any of the following options to specify how to distribute the costs based on the activity schedule: Consecutive Periods: Select this option to distribute costs based on the profile from the earliest start to the latest finish dates across activities for each CBS or Summary CBS code. This is the default option for new or existing curves if you selected Schedule as Use Dates from Activity Sheet. Exclude Gap Periods: Select this option to distribute costs by honoring gaps between activities if there are multiple activities for the same CBS Code. Honor Working Days: Select this option to distribute costs based on the working days of activities.
Variance	For CBS, typically, the Variance is set to Inflow for an Actuals (Spends) type curve. This value is used to calculate variances against the Inflow type curves. Your choices are: Inflow Outflow
Begin calculations at end of curve	Select this option if you want to automatically start the Forecast at the end of a selected Actual (or "spends") curve for each time period.
Replace current period forecast with Actuals on cut off date	If you select this option and the period close settings have not been specified, the Forecast curve is replaced with the Actuals (or "spends") curve at the end of the month. Note: The cumulative graph will not show the Forecast connected to Actuals (or "spends") until the system overwrites the Forecast with the Actuals.
Allow edit of current period forecast until replacement actuals	Select this option if you want to reconfigure the Forecast until the date set to replace the Forecasted values with Actuals (or "spends"). Note: If the cutoff date is not specified, but the Replace current period forecast with Actuals on cut off date and Allow edit of current period forecast until replacement by Actuals options are selected, the system does not allow edits to the Forecast curve after the end of the month.
Distribute unassigned amounts from Spends	Your options for unassigned amounts are: Using weighted average over all remaining periods Using weighted average over ___ next periods You can enter the number of time periods (1 or more) not exceeding the number of periods remaining. The above options are available only if you have selected: A default distribution profile for the curve The Begin calculations at end of curve option If you use auto distribution for a Forecast Curve with Spends enabled and you want to use the same approach for rows that are manually overridden, select the Allow distribution of unassigned amount for manual override rows check box.
Select Baseline curve for comparison	Select a Baseline curve from the drop-down list to compare with the Forecast curve.

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