Worksheet: Track forecast against actual each month

"We'll see it in the results" leaves no warning when an initiative slips. This sheet tracks each initiative's benefit monthly, with one early measure that moves before the dollars. It builds the Competent step of the check:

Forecast and actual benefits are tracked monthly by initiative against a hard baseline, and each initiative has one activity or adoption measure that moves before the dollars do.

Step 1. The monthly table

Initiative	Baseline	Plan to date ($m)	Forecast to date	Actual to date	Status (on track, concern, significant lag)	Early measure	This month
e.g. Trade terms reset	Last year's discounts, 11.2% of sales	0.8	0.7	0.5	concern	Accounts on new terms	55% against 70% planned

Step 2. The cumulative curve

Chart plan and actual month by month, and show the gap to the year's target on the chart.

Month	Plan, cumulative ($m)	Actual, cumulative ($m)	Gap
1
2
3
4
5
6

Step 3. Choose the early measure

Initiative	What changes first (activity or adoption)	How it is counted	Source

Use a simple proxy if the exact measure is hard to count. A measure nobody can collect each month will be dropped by month three.

Under 50 people: each month, compare each initiative's forecast benefit with what happened, beside one early measure. Write next year's benefit into next year's plan now.

Done when: every initiative shows forecast and actual against its baseline each month, with one early measure beside it.

Adapted from our own programme monthly update (PJP, 2017).