Revenue and projects

Forecasting workflow

Fix the dates and amounts that drive product, labor, and recurring-revenue forecasts.

Forecast quality depends on dates, amounts, and recurring revenue start timing. The Needs Forecasting list points you to projects that need attention.

What Needs Forecasting Means

A project appears in Needs Forecasting when Rev Tracker cannot confidently place some revenue into a month.

Common reasons:

  • Product revenue has no delivery date.
  • Fixed-fee labor has no forecast date.
  • Fixed-fee labor has no forecast amount.
  • MRR has no start date.

Basic Workflow

  1. Open the Dashboard.
  2. Click Refresh Data.
  3. Review Needs Forecasting.
  4. Click a project.
  5. Identify the missing input badges or warnings.
  6. Open the relevant detail section.
  7. Update the missing date or amount if you have admin access.
  8. Save.
  9. Refresh data.
  10. Confirm the project no longer appears for that missing item.

Product Delivery Dates

Product revenue usually needs a delivery date to land in the right forecast month.

Where to start:

  • Dashboard > Product Snapshot.
  • Dashboard > Needs Forecasting.
  • Project Details > product section.

What to check:

  • Is the product marked delivered?
  • Does it have a confirmed delivery date?
  • Does it have an estimated delivery date?
  • Is the date in the month where revenue should be forecasted?

Admin action:

  • Open Product Exposure Drilldown.
  • Edit delivery status or delivery dates.
  • Save changes.
  • Refresh data.

Fixed-Fee Labor Dates

Fixed-fee labor needs a date so Rev Tracker knows when to forecast it.

Where to start:

  • Dashboard > Needs Forecasting.
  • Project Details > fixed-fee labor section.
  • FF Phase Drilldown.

What to check:

  • Does each fixed-fee stream have a date?
  • Is the date realistic?
  • Are old dates still correct?
  • Is the stream meant to be forecasted in the selected month?

Admin action:

  • Open FF Phase Drilldown.
  • Enter or correct the stream date.
  • Save.
  • Refresh data.

Fixed-Fee Labor Amounts

Fixed-fee labor also needs forecast amounts.

Where to start:

  • Dashboard > Needs Forecasting.
  • Project Details > fixed-fee labor section.
  • FF Phase Drilldown.

What to check:

  • Does each expected stream have an amount?
  • Is the amount in the correct stream?
  • Is the amount zero because there is no work, or because the field was missed?

Admin action:

  • Open FF Phase Drilldown.
  • Enter or correct amounts.
  • Save.
  • Refresh data.

MRR Start Dates

MRR needs a start date so Rev Tracker can place new recurring revenue into the right month.

Where to start:

  • Dashboard > Needs Forecasting.
  • New Project MRR chart.
  • Project MRR Drilldown.
  • Project Details > MRR section.
  • MRR Phase Breakdown.

What to check:

  • Does the project have MSP, Private Cloud, or Public Cloud MRR?
  • Does the MRR have a start date?
  • Is the app showing a warning icon for fallback date usage?
  • Should the date be different from the project close date?

Admin action:

  • Open MRR Phase Breakdown.
  • Enter or correct MRR amount and start date.
  • Save.
  • Refresh data.

Manual Forecast Placeholders

Some future revenue categories may use manual placeholders until actual data exists.

Admin-editable placeholder categories can include:

  • Non-Project HW/SW.
  • On-Demand.
  • Manual MRR buckets.

Use manual placeholders when:

  • The revenue is expected but not yet represented in live project/agreement data.
  • The forecast meeting needs a planning estimate.
  • A future month needs temporary direction before source data catches up.

Review manual placeholders regularly. They can become stale if actual source data changes.

How to Validate a Forecast Fix

After saving a change:

  1. Click Refresh Data.
  2. Reopen the affected month or project.
  3. Confirm the date or amount appears where expected.
  4. Confirm the project is removed from Needs Forecasting for that issue.
  5. Check the relevant revenue pod or chart month.
  6. Export if you need to share the updated view.

When to Use ConnectWise Directly

Use Edit in ConnectWise when:

  • The needed field is not editable in Rev Tracker.
  • The project status, manager, phase structure, or agreement setup is wrong.
  • You need to verify the operational source record.

After changing ConnectWise directly, return to Rev Tracker and refresh.