A Definitive Guide to Project Cash Flow Management

What is Project cash flow, anyway? Become a master with this comprehensive guide and watch your projects give net positive return always.

What is Project cash flow management , anyway? Become a master with this comprehensive guide and watch your projects give net positive return always.

Scope of project cashflow management

Do you ever struggle to cover your expenses at final sprints of projects because you don’t have enough cash? Understanding “what is Project cash flow?” is a great start.

If you answered yes to this question, you’re not alone. Many SMEs (small and medium scale enterprises) and startups experience the same problem: They suffer from poor Project cash flow caused by factors like poor planning, slow-paying clients, and not building contingencies and buffers.

But exactly what is Project cash flow management ? And why should you even care? In this post, you’ll learn nearly everything you need to know to help you become a master, including:

  • What it is
  • Why it matters
  • How to calculate it
  • How to track it
  • How to improve it

What Is Project Cash flow Management ?

To understand Project cash flow management , begin by learning what it isn’t. Firstly, it is not profit. Profit is the difference between revenue and expenses. It’s possible for a project to be unprofitable while having good Project cash flow and vice versa. This can happen, for example, when a business owner deposits the advance payments into a bank account, which improves the flow of cash but not profits.

So, what is Project cash flow?

It’s the total amount of money flowing in and out of your project. When more money is flowing in than out, you have positive Project cash flow and your business is in the green. Conversely, when more money is flowing out than in, you have negative Project cash flow and your business is in the red.

Project cash flow changes mainly result from operating & financing. When you are spending money on your project that is recorded as cash outflow, while any payment received from client or debtor is cash inflow

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Why Does Project CashFlow Management Matter?

Project Cash flow plays a crucial role in:

Keeping your project afloat and paying the bills that cover daily spendings to avoid the risk of shutting the project. Your goal is to maintain positive cash flow and ensure that at the end of the project you are always earning more than you’re spending.

Expanding your project scope to up-sell the deliverable goal and earn more. A project that’s increasing in scope will need extra cash to reinvest—to purchase new equipment, invest in hiring experts or project management professionals, extra working manpower, relationship building, and lobbying expenses, and so on—all while covering initially planned costs.

Making smarter project decisions by knowing that it is your cash flow that determines your decisions.

For example, let’s say that you plan on buying a concrete mixer and that at the end of the month you discover your income far outweighs your expenses. You can now confidently make that purchase to fuel the project scope expansion because you have enough cash. Conversely, if you’re in the red, you may choose to put that purchase on hold until your situation improves.

Lengthy projects have phases of slow and busy periods and unpredictable cash flow that changes all cyclically around the year.

Consistent cash flow management throughout the year is crucial for businesses to navigate slow periods effectively. Analyzing cash flow reveals how finances are managed and identifies areas impacting cash inflow and outflow. Understanding these nuances helps address financial challenges and ensure smoother operations.

How Do You Calculate ProjectCash Flow Management ?

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Calculating project cash flow usually involves preparing a cash flow statement that consists of the two core areas mentioned earlier:

  • Operations
  • Finance

Although you can calculate your cash flow for any period, it’s usually done monthly or weekly depending on the project length and complexity. There are two ways to prepare a cash flow statement: the indirect and direct method.

The Indirect Method

The indirect method is more straightforward and recommended for most business owners. Here, you adjust the net income from cash inflows against outflows.

The Direct Method

The direct method differs in one small detail: net cash flow from operating activities is calculated differently. Instead of adjusting your net income, you list the payments (expenses or outflows) and receipts (income or inflows).

Track Your Project CashFlow Management

Because changes in project cash flow often result from fluctuations in income and expenses, a good starting point is to monitor these two variables.

Tracking your income: it starts with tracking your invoices.

Track your invoices so that you know who has paid you, who hasn’t and how much money you’re earning each month. By tracking your invoices and keeping a secure record, you’ll also be better prepared for tax season.

Consider cloud accounting platforms like Juntrax or Zivabooks that store your invoices in one easily accessible place, provides you with at-a-glance overviews of your income and reminds you when any invoices are overdue (more on that in a bit).

Tracking your expenses: it starts with the right expense categories

You also need to maintain a firm grip on your expenses so you can compare them against income to determine profits. Here are two expense tracking best practices you may want to implement:

Organize business expenses into tax-friendly categories, so you understand your spending habits and can reduce your total tax bill. Typical business expense categories include office wages, supplies, bank fees, utilities, cell phone and data costs, travel and accommodation.

Upgrade your expense tracking methods. If you’re still recording expenses in spreadsheets or storing receipts in a filing cabinet, it may be time to upgrade to a more modern solution. Choose the right cloud software that will simplify your expense tracking by letting you:

Track the project billables against employee timesheets to prepare project cash flow report

Connect your bank account—say goodbye to manual entry

Generate invoices and purchase orders digitally and track payments along with sending payment reminders.

Mark an expense as billable, add a markup and pull it into an invoice to view at a glance how your business is performing thanks to expense, and profit & loss reports

The bottom line? Keeping tabs on your income and expenses helps you better understand the movement of cash and your spending habits. This understanding, in turn, improves your decision making

Conclusion

Cash flow is the lifeblood of your project whether business is consulting, enterprise or just a startup. It keeps your projects afloat; it helps you drive more mileage per project. Many SMEs realize the importance of managing project cash flow when it’s too late. With Juntrax, gain control over project cash flow from tracking to analytics, avoiding last-minute financial pitfalls.

2 thoughts on “A Definitive Guide to Project Cash Flow Management”

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