How to work with non-rooms Budget and forecast
Summary
This article explains how to work with and maintain your budgets and monthly forecasts for departments other than Rooms. Please see this article for how to work with Rooms.
Intended Users
PMI profit and cockpit owners
Instructions
Depending on what department you are looking at, there are different views and options. Both the tools menu and the view options menu will vary. Please see under Tools and View Options below.
- The view is divided into different columns. All departments have Month, Cost driver, Productivity, Hours and Rates. There may be a Revenue column, however this is not for all departments. Last year’s hours are calculated using the SMART calculation.
- Under each column, you can view what you have selected. You can select this in the View Options menu. Please see instructions below under View Options.
- You can adjust the budget and forecast directly in this module. It is recommended that you use the Live forecast module when calculating and submitting the Forecast.
- You can choose what period to view by using the date selecter and you can choose to see months or years.
Food & Beverage Outlets
There is a possibility to activate Food Revenue in the outlets. Food Revenue has always been calculated in the respective kitchen, however now the calculation can be done per outlet. Especially if you have segments in the outlet you will now see the calculation of food revenue per segment.
By setting the cost driver in kitchen with the correct outlet you are able to connect several kitchens to the correct food revenue. Please see Cost Driver Tab in Cockpit.
Depending on the setting in Live Forecast for the specific outlet, the food revenue is calculated out of the total revenue. There are 3 ways to calculate this, based on last year info, percentage or number of days back in the past. Please see Live Forecast.
The calculation (A) is done as soon as the revenues are updated in the revenue column (B). You may click on the calculator to enter an amount manually and the symbol will then change to a hand.
Tools
Submit Several
This is one way to submit your Live forecast to Forecast. You can also do it from the Live forecast module.
Cost Driver
This is where you set the cost driver, i.e. what drives your labor hours, for a specific department. This may vary from department to department. Housekeeping has Room Nights (previous day) as the cost driver, while Kitchen would have Food Revenue as the cost driver. One department may have several cost drivers. The Cost Driver is usually set in the start up phase and not changed.
Revenue Driver
A factor that causes a change in the forecast revenue for the department; i.e. what drives the revenue. For example, Breakfast – Guest Nights (previous day). More staying guests typically increase breakfast revenue. Or Minibar – Room Nights. An empty room does not generate any minibar revenue.
Export
You can export to Excel or PDF.
Settings
Here you have different choices depending on what department you are dealing with. Basically, it depends on whether the department has revenue or not. Please read more about these settings under Room Budget and Forecast.
View Options
You may choose to see Budget, Forecast, Actual and Last Year in the View Options. Under Kitchen Cockpit you may also change how to view the Food Cost column.
Recommendations
It is highly recommended that you work with Live Forecast module and do all calculations and forecasting there. Then submit it to Forecast at the end of every month.
Troubleshooting tips
This section provides additional troubleshooting advice for readers experiencing specific issues. While it’s packed with useful insights, you may skip it if you’re not facing any related problems.
Troubleshoot data in the Import Status view
Accessing the Import Status View:
- Navigate to the main menu and select Import Status.
- Choose your desired chain, property, status, and interface filters.
- The view will display detailed import information for the selected property.
Troubleshooting Missing or Delayed Data:
If Interface Status is “In progress”: This indicates that data is actively being imported and is currently in the ingestion queue. It will soon “arrive” and be visible within PMI.
If data appears to be missing:
- Use the search (magnifying glass) to drill down into the details.
- Compare the data received with what’s displayed in PMI to ensure alignment.
- Check for potential issues like unmapped accounts or ignored figures that may prevent data from appearing.
- If discrepancies persist, consider performing a new import to refresh the data.
How to Resubmit a Forecast
If you need to resubmit a forecast in PMI, follow these steps:
- Locate the Approved Version: Go to the relevant section in PMI (e.g., Status page or Planning module) and find the currently approved forecast.
- Reject the Approved Version: Change the status of the approved forecast from “Approved” to “Rejected.” This allows you to make changes.
- Make Adjustments: Edit the forecast as needed once it becomes editable.
- Submit the Updated Forecast: After making your changes, submit the forecast again for approval.
Tip: If you encounter issues during this process, ensure you have the necessary permissions to reject and edit forecasts. Contact your system administrator if needed.
Glossary of Terms
Stuck on a term or abbreviation? Check out our PMI Glossary for quick definitions and insights into common terms and abbreviations. Simplify troubleshooting by understanding the language behind the processes!
Forecast discrepancies in cockpits
If the forecast data in the cockpit does not match the actuals, showing discrepancies in the Monthly To Date (MTD) usage, a potential cause is that a cost driver was not forecasted, leading the system to calculate zero forecast and only display actuals.
Steps to Resolve:
1. Verify Cost Drivers: Ensure all relevant cost drivers have been forecasted for the period in question.
2. Update Forecasts:
• Navigate to the forecast module.
• Ensure all cost drivers are included.
• Resubmit the forecast for the affected month(s).
3. Verify Correction: Check that the cockpit now displays the correct forecast and actual hours.