RETAIL IT CASH FORECAST WORKSHEET
Guide: https://yenra.com/it-spending-forecast/
Prepared October 2, 2026. Editable plain text; copy into your planning notes.

PURPOSE AND USE
Estimate payments by quarter from quantities, rates and contract dates.
Keep approved budget, original forecast and later versions separately.
Replace a completed period with reconciled actual payments. Forecast only
the remaining payments, including committed invoices still unpaid.
This is cash planning. Ask finance to determine accounting and tax treatment.

YOUR PLAN
Owner:                         Version date:
Currency and units:            Actuals through:
Business scope / stores:       Approved funding:
Invoice/payment source:        Next review:
Cost line / owner:
Quantity and unit rate:
Payment trigger and date:
Committed or estimated:
Q1:            Q2:            Q3:            Q4:            Year:
Repeat the cost-line block for each mutually exclusive category.
Record taxes, internal labor, financing and other exclusions separately.
Total = sum of cost lines; reconcile each quarterly total and annual sum.

WORKED FICTIONAL PLAN - USD
Six stores; two activate at start of Q2, four at start of Q3.
Per-store hardware $3,000 plus installation/training $1,000, paid in the
activation quarter. Subscriptions $100/store/month, paid monthly.
Existing run costs $6,000/quarter exclude the separate legacy service.
Legacy service $200/month until final wave activation; no termination fee.
Quarter-start activation means no partial-month bills.
Taxes, financing, internal labor and usage changes excluded.

Line                          Q1       Q2       Q3       Q4       Year
Run costs                  6,000    6,000    6,000    6,000     24,000
Hardware/setup/training         0    8,000   16,000        0     24,000
New subscriptions              0      600    1,800    1,800      4,200
Separate legacy service      600      600        0        0      1,200
Total                      6,600   15,200   23,800    7,800     53,400

DELAY SCENARIO
Four-store final wave and its $16,000 payment move from Q3 to Q4.
Q3 = $6,000 + 2 x $100 x 3 + $200 x 3 = $7,200.
Q4 = $6,000 + $16,000 + 6 x $100 x 3 = $23,800.
Quarter totals: $6,600; $15,200; $7,200; $23,800. Year: $52,800.
Change from baseline: $0; $0; -$16,600; +$16,000. Year: -$600.
Annual subscription reduction $1,200 less extra legacy cost $600 = $600.
Rollout total remains $24,000. Later benefits and contract penalties need
separate assessment before treating the delay as an economic saving.

Q1 REVISION
Actual Q1 $7,100 includes an unexpected one-time repair of $500.
Delayed remaining Q2-Q4 = $15,200 + $7,200 + $23,800 = $46,200.
Revised year = $7,100 + $46,200 = $53,300.
Variance versus original = +$500 actual overrun - $600 timing effect
= -$100 (revised expectation $100 below original).

REVISION RECORD
Original baseline:             Actuals to date:
Remaining forecast:            Revised year (actual + remaining):
Change versus original:
Cause (price / quantity / timing / scope):
Evidence and owner:
Recurring or one-time?          Decision needed and date:
Service/readiness consequence:  Reserve release, if approved:

SURVEY COMPARATOR
Source URL and publication date:
Reference year, geography, sample, retailer size:
Definition of spending and exclusions:
Actual / intended / approved; nominal / price-adjusted:
Which forecast assumption does this evidence help evaluate?

Method reference: https://www.finops.org/framework/capabilities/forecasting/
All worked prices are invented, not supplier quotations.