Cash planning guide
Cash depends on dates, balances and timing.
A 13-week cash outlook is a short-horizon view of expected receipts and payments. Its usefulness depends on complete opening information and explicit timing inputs.
Start from an evidenced opening balance
The projection needs a supported opening cash observation for the start date. A stale or missing balance cannot be quietly replaced with an assumed value.
Choose a supported timing basis
The application supports an explicit schedule of dated receipts and payments, or a source-timing method that requires complete opening cash, receivables and payables, plus customer-confirmed lags and other required timing inputs.
Keep operating results separate from cash movements
Recognized revenue does not automatically mean that cash was received. Existing open invoices, future receipts and new operating flows need clear dates and rules to avoid missing or counting an item twice.
Review all thirteen weeks
- Check the projection start date and opening source.
- Inspect dated receipts and payment assumptions.
- Find missing or stale inputs and timing changes.
- Review threshold attention alongside its supporting evidence.
- Keep the cash view distinct from profit and from a complete balance-sheet forecast.
Questions to bring to a cash review
Which expected flows have customer-confirmed dates? Are open items complete as of the projection start? What changes if a receipt or payment moves to a later week? Which assumptions need management attention?