Services
Forecasting & Financial Planning
A forward-looking financial plan built on how project firms actually earn money — backlog, staffing, utilization, and margin — not a static spreadsheet that goes stale in February.
The problem: budgets built for a world that doesn't move
Most project firms plan the same way they always have: an annual budget set in December, approved with confidence, and irrelevant by March. The backlog shifted. A major project slipped a quarter. Two senior people left, and three new hires are sitting on the bench while their replacement work ramps up. Meanwhile scope changes quietly erode the margins the budget assumed.
A standard budget can't survive this because it was never built for project economics. It treats revenue as a smooth monthly line, when your revenue actually arrives in project milestones, phase completions, and change orders. It treats labor as a headcount number, when your cost is really staffing — who is billable, who is on the bench, and what that idle time costs every week.
The result is a firm run on instinct and lagging indicators. Leadership finds out the quarter is soft when the invoices come in light — too late to adjust staffing, pricing, or pursuits. Hiring decisions become bets: bring people on and risk bench cost, or stay lean and risk turning down good work. Neither choice feels informed, because neither is.
A rolling forecast built on project data changes the conversation. Instead of asking "are we on budget?" — a question nobody can act on in May — you ask "what does the next twelve months look like given the backlog we have, the pursuits we're chasing, and the people we employ?" That question has an answer, and it's the difference between reacting and managing.
What you get
A planning system, not a one-time model. We build it, we maintain it with you, and we sit in the room when the numbers change the plan.
Rolling 12-month forecast
A monthly-updated forecast that always looks twelve months ahead — revenue by project, labor cost by staffing plan, overhead, and margin. Refreshed as backlog, staffing, and pursuits change, so it never goes stale.
Annual budget tied to backlog
An operating budget anchored in your actual sold work and realistic staffing — not top-down growth percentages. Every revenue line traces to projects or pursuits; every labor dollar traces to people and utilization.
Scenario and what-if planning
Structured views of the decisions in front of you: what if the big pursuit doesn't land? What if the project slips two months? What if we hire four engineers in Q3? Scenarios quantify the options before you commit.
Backlog-margin analysis
A clear-eyed look at the margin embedded in your sold backlog — which projects carry the year, which are thin, and where pricing or staffing decisions need to happen now, while there's still time to act.
Typical cadence
Planning works when it's a rhythm, not an event. We run it on two gears:
Monthly forecast refresh
Each month we update the rolling forecast for actual results, backlog movement, staffing changes, and pursuit status. A short review keeps the numbers current and flags what's drifting.
Quarterly deep planning session
Once a quarter we step back: revisit assumptions, pressure-test scenarios, re-evaluate staffing plans, and reset the outlook for the next twelve months. This is where strategy and numbers meet.
Who it's for
This service is built for project-based firms of 10 to 250 people — IT and technology consultancies, engineering and EPC firms, architecture and design studios, and professional services firms. You typically have a bookkeeper or controller handling the books competently, but no one whose job is to look forward. You have real backlog data and real staffing data, but no model that connects the two into a plan.
It's a good fit if you're approaching a growth decision (hiring, a new office, a practice area), if your margins feel thinner than your revenue suggests, or if you're simply tired of being surprised by your own numbers.
Outcomes
- Hiring confidence: hire against forecasted utilization and backlog coverage, not hope. Know when the bench can be absorbed and when it can't.
- Pricing discipline: see the margin your backlog actually carries, so you price new work — and push back on thin work — from evidence.
- Lender and board credibility: walk into any financing or ownership conversation with a defensible forward plan, not a hope and a spreadsheet.
- Earlier warnings: spot the soft quarter two quarters out, when you can still change the staffing plan, accelerate pursuits, or adjust spend.
Frequently asked questions
How is project-firm forecasting different from a normal company forecast?
A project firm's revenue is lumpy and its cost structure is people. Standard company forecasts spread revenue evenly across the year and treat labor as a fixed line item. A project-firm forecast has to start from backlog — what is sold, when each project is scheduled, and who is staffed — then layer in win probability on pursuits, bench cost where people sit idle, and margin by project. That is what we build.
How long does it take to get a working forecast in place?
A first working rolling forecast typically comes together in four to six weeks, using your existing project list, staffing data, and accounting history. We refine it each month as part of the ongoing rhythm — the first version is intentionally directionally correct, and it gets sharper with every refresh.
Do we need new software for this?
No. We build your forecast in a spreadsheet model tied to data you already have — your project list, timesheets, and accounting system. If you outgrow that model later, we help you define what you need next. The discipline matters more than the tool.
Related services
Planning works best alongside the rest of the finance function.
Cash Flow & Financial Visibility
Turn the forecast into week-by-week cash reality with a rolling 13-week cash forecast and milestone-billing visibility.
Performance Reporting & KPIs
Track actuals against the plan with a monthly management pack and a KPI dashboard that flags drift early.
Decision Support & Profitability
Bring the forecast into pricing, hiring, and go/no-go decisions with CFO-level judgment in a steady cadence.
Run your projects with financial confidence.
Talk to a finance advisor who speaks project economics — backlog, bench, WIP, and margin — not just accounting.