Budgeting & Planning

Reforecasting & Scenarios: Keep the Plan Alive

How to run a rolling reforecast in Fintra and model scenarios with snapshots and the approval workflow - so the plan tracks reality without losing the original.

Updated 9 min read1 labOwner / FounderAccountant

By April, every annual budget is partly fiction - the question is whether your planning system admits it. Fintra handles this with two instruments: the rolling reforecast (actuals for closed months + updated forecast for the rest) and scenarios (parallel what-if versions of the plan). Snapshots and the approval workflow keep every version deliberate and every change attributable.

The rolling reforecast

A reforecast replaces the remaining months of the plan with updated numbers while closed months show actuals. The result is the honest full-year landing - the number the BvA full-year lens hints at, made official.

Quarterly reforecast in five steps

  1. 1

    Trigger it deliberately

    Reforecast on a calendar (quarterly is the SMB sweet spot) or on a material permanent variance - not every month, or the forecast becomes as noisy as the actuals.

  2. 2

    Snapshot first

    Take a snapshot of the current forecast so the before/after diff is preserved.

  3. 3

    Roll actuals in

    Closed months lock to actuals automatically; your editing surface is only the remaining months.

  4. 4

    Update the remaining months

    Carry the permanent variances forward (the Riverside revenue continues; the overtime does not), re-run driver-based lines with updated drivers, and leave lines with no new information alone.

  5. 5

    Submit for approval

    The reforecast goes through the approval workflow like the original budget - the approved version becomes the forecast of record.

Scenarios: parallel versions of the future

A scenario is a full copy of the plan under different assumptions - edit any lines, compare side by side, and promote one if reality picks it. Scenarios answer "what would we do if…" before you are inside the if.

ScenarioAssumption patternDecision it pre-makes
BaseThe approved forecast- (the reference)
UpsideWin the deals in late-stage pipeline; hire to serve themWhat we hire/spend when growth shows up
DownsideLose a top customer or −15% revenue; cost cuts staged by monthWhat we cut first, second, third - decided calmly
The three scenarios worth keeping
  • Build scenarios by copying the base and editing assumptions - driver-based lines make this fast (change the driver, the lines follow).
  • Compare scenarios on the few numbers that matter: full-year revenue, net income, and lowest cash month.
  • When a scenario becomes reality, promote it through the approval workflow rather than re-keying its numbers into the base.

Snapshots and the approval workflow

Snapshots are immutable point-in-time copies of a budget or forecast; the approval workflow is the gate that turns a draft into the version of record. Together they answer the two governance questions every planning process eventually faces: "what changed?" and "who agreed to it?"

Snapshot discipline

  • Snapshot before every approval submission (named, e.g., "FY27 pre-Q3-reforecast")
  • Snapshot before any bulk edit or import
  • Snapshot what the board saw, the day they saw it
  • Never delete snapshots - they are the planning audit trail

Hands-on labs

Practice against a realistic scenario. Each lab lists the steps, what you should see, and the checkpoints that confirm you got the same result.

Lab 1

Build Acme’s downside scenario and Q3 reforecast

Scenario

Acme’s biggest customer, Brightline Dental ($96,000/year), hints they may in-source facilities work in Q4. Meanwhile the Q3 reforecast is due. Build both: the reforecast (Riverside upside carried forward) and a downside scenario losing Brightline October 1.

Steps

  1. 1

    Snapshot the current forecast as "pre-Q3-reforecast".

    Expected: The snapshot appears in the version list, immutable.

  2. 2

    Create the Q3 reforecast: actuals through August locked, September–December editable. Raise revenue $1,500/month for Riverside and add $4,000 wages in September only.

    Expected: Full-year forecast lands ~$221k net income vs. the $210k budget.

  3. 3

    Submit the reforecast for approval and approve it (as the owner).

    Expected: It becomes the forecast of record; the budget of record is untouched.

  4. 4

    Copy the approved forecast into a scenario named "Downside - Brightline loss Oct 1" and remove $8,000/month revenue for October–December.

    Expected: Scenario revenue drops $24,000 vs. base.

  5. 5

    Stage the response in the same scenario: cut $2,500/month of discretionary spend from October and delay the planned Q4 equipment purchase.

    Expected: The scenario’s full-year net income lands roughly $14–16k below base instead of $24k.

  6. 6

    Compare base vs. downside on full-year net income and lowest cash month, and note the decision trigger ("if Brightline gives notice, activate the cuts within 2 weeks").

    Expected: A one-line contingency plan exists, with the numbers already agreed.

Checkpoints - you got it right if…

  • A named snapshot precedes the reforecast
  • Reforecast approved through the workflow; original budget unchanged
  • Downside scenario contains both the shock and the staged response
  • The decision trigger for activating the downside plan is written down

Frequently asked questions

How often should we reforecast?

Quarterly for most SMBs, plus an out-of-cycle reforecast on any material permanent change (major customer win/loss, a hire plan change, a price change). Monthly reforecasting usually just launders noise into the plan.

Does reforecasting overwrite my budget?

No. The budget of record stays fixed for the year; the reforecast is a separate version that becomes the forecast of record on approval. BvA can compare actuals against either - performance against budget, steering against forecast.

How many scenarios are too many?

Keep three living scenarios: base, upside, downside. More than that and none get maintained. Archive event-specific scenarios (an acquisition model, a pricing change) once the event resolves.

Who should have approval rights on forecasts?

One or two people - typically the owner and the finance lead. Drafting and scenario-building can be open to the whole finance team; approval narrow is what keeps the version of record meaningful.

Can I recover what the forecast looked like before an edit?

If a snapshot was taken, yes - open it read-only or compare against it. That is why the discipline is snapshot-before-every-submission and before bulk edits; snapshots are cheap, reconstructed memory is not.

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