How to approve a forecast or budget in PMI
How to send in/submit your budget/target or forecast in PMI Planning module. NB! Moved from Submit to Status in tools box.
Summary
When your budget/target/forecast work is completed and you wish to send in/freeze these figures to become a selectable version in PMI Planning, follow the instructions below. This process is formerly know as “submit” also in PMI Planning but is now found in Tools as “status”. It is the actual approval process that is described in this section. Depending on your user rights you are only allowed access to your departments in Planning and only allowed to approve or “submit” your part to forecast or budget/target.
Intended Users
Budget/Target and Forecast owner, Controllers, General Managers, Head Office Controllers.
Requirements
The appropriate user rights.
Instructions
The approval process flow is as follows:
When in the accounts view in PMI Profit and Loss, find “status” in the tools box. First choose Budget/Target or Forecast to submit at the top.
- The forecast/budget/target owner should when the forecast/target/budget is done go into Status under Tools and set the department to Ready. The plus sign allows you to open and see the latest saved versions, who updated and when.
- When all departments are set to Ready the responsible with Controller user rights should either set the department to Locked or Rejected (if the department should redo the forecast/budget/target).
- When all departments are set to Locked the Submit button at the bottom will be green. It is then possible to submit the entire property. Choose a period to submit in the Submit part above and write a comment if needed. If you only lock part of year and keep that locked, rest of year will have status Live. You need to press the + sign in front of the department in Status to get an overview of what is locked. You are also able to view this in the account plan.
- After the forecast/budget/target has been submitted it will be displayed at the top as Report Versions. You will see the date the forecast/budget/target was submitted, which user completed it and for what period. When submitted, the forecast/budget/target will have the status Pending.
- The responsible person with Controller user rights is then able to set forecast/target/budget version from Pending to Approved or Rejected in the top section of the status page.
- When all is submitted and approved the responsible person with Controller user rights needs to set all departments to Live – until then all live forecasts/targets are locked for the individual department owners to work with.
You are able to set all departments to different status simultaneously by clicking the heading tick box.
After submitting you will see that the accounts are locked and there is a message telling you the status along side the lock icon. Please note that this version is a snap shot of figures only, it does not contain any formulas or connections and cannot be altered. If you for some reason detect this version is not correct, please just re-submit another version following the steps 1-6 above.
Lock PMI R&P Budget/Target figures
It is possible in the Status module to also Lock PMI R&P Budget/Target Revenue and Hours separately. This to avoid accidental change to the budget/target figures in PMI R&P.
Recommendations
It is recommended to set up a good internal work procedure so all forecast/target owners know exactly the timelines to follow each month.
Note: Even if the Status tool is available in the Report module and Account Summary module, the Submit option will only be available from the Accounts module.
Approve Several
As a Head Office Controller you might want to approve multiple hotels simultaneously, within a group or all hotels. To avoid having to do this one by one, use the Approve Several feature in the Tool menu.
You will only get hotels you have P&L user access to on the list.
Only last submitted forecast/budget/target with status Pending can be Approved. The list will display all hotels in the group you choose and you can see by whom and which date it was last approved. If the tick box is enabled, a new submitted forecast/budget/target is ready to be approved.
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.
Why does the column in the P&L module not say “Budget” even though I’m working with the Budget version?
You’re using the Budget version in the P&L module, but the staff-related column shows a different label—perhaps “Scheduled” or something entirely custom. Here’s why that happens and how to fix it.
The Real Reason: This setting isn’t controlled in the P&L module—it’s actually configured in the Cockpit. To make the column reflect Budget hours rather than another value (like Scheduled), follow these steps:
- Go to the Cockpit.
- Find the setting that defines whether the P&L module uses Scheduled hours or Budget hours.
- Switch the setting to use Budget hours.
- Save your changes and return to the P&L module.
Once done, the column will update to reflect the correct data type—Budget—instead of the previously displayed label.
Need help finding the setting? This article has the details: Use Forecast/Budget Hours from Cockpit in P&L Staff Module
PIA chat – R&P and financial context
If you’re using the Revenue & Productivity (R&P) module in PMI, keep in mind that this module focuses on revenue and productivity metrics rather than full financial reporting.
- Since not all cost data is available within R&P, the AI cannot provide full Gross Operating Profit (GOP) calculations.
- If cost-related insights are needed, AI will only infer potential GOP impacts based on available data but won’t generate GOP estimates unless explicitly asked.
- When a P&L module is present, the AI can incorporate a broader financial view, but without it, responses remain revenue and productivity-focused.
Manually link Forecast revenue from R&P to Planning
To manually link forecast revenue from the Revenue & Productivity (R&P) module to the Planning module in PMI:
- Go to the P&L module → Accounts.
- Select the account you want to link (e.g., Room Revenue).
- Under Source Definition, choose the source data, such as: Hotel Name → Room Revenue (Forecast)
- Save your changes.
This method gives you full control and allows you to override automatic data flows or pull data from specific departments as needed.
Note: While this process is not always shown step-by-step in the Knowledge base, it aligns with how account source definitions work in PMI.
Goal Distribution Tool (GDT)
What is GDT? The GDT helps set long-term sustainability goals at the chain level, breaking them down into property-specific and monthly targets. These targets are visible in the GoGreen cockpit and Planning pages.
Goal Targets Not Displaying
- Ensure that goals have been properly set and distributed at the chain level.
- Check if the property has the required data, such as historical usage and occupancy figures.
- Verify that the property’s activities and local weather conditions have been factored into the calculation.
Generate reports in the Timesheet
If you have trouble to generate (make or create) a report in the timesheet, one common solution to try is checking your view settings. Specifically, make sure you've included all necessary parameters, such as "Include Period-End" in your report criteria. This step is often overlooked but crucial for generating comprehensive reports that match your expectations. If you're still encountering difficulties, you might need to look into more detailed settings or permissions that could be affecting your ability to generate the report.
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.
Changing revenue for today & tomorrow in PMI
Key Points to Remember:
- Budget & Forecast Module changes totals on a monthly basis only.
- Flash Report allows you to edit historical values.
- Live Forecast allows you to edit future values (including today and tomorrow) by switching to “manual.”
Steps to edit revenue for historical dates (Past)
- Open the Flash Report.
- Expand or select the past date you want to edit; click the plus icon.
- Click the pencil icon (if available) to override the revenue value.
Steps to edit revenue for future dates (Today & Tomorrow)
- Go to the Live Forecast.
- Expand or select the specific date (e.g., today, tomorrow).
- Switch the date to “manual” if required.
- Enter the new revenue value in the editable field.