For workspaces that utilize the Forecast and Variance Reports feature in Ruddr, the Plan & Forecast report section is available and provides insight into hours, revenue, and utilization metrics that are derived from actuals and Resource Allocations in the workspace.
Additionally, you can view variance reports, which provide insight into deltas between actual hours logged in the Ruddr workspace and hours that were allocated to resources and projects. Whereas the Plan reports are forward looking, Variance reports provide insight into the past. Another term often used to describe this data is "Actual to Plan".
The three types of reports available in this section include:
- Forecast reports: the combination of past actuals with the future plan to generate a performance forecast.
- Plan reports: the planned performance based on resource allocations, billing schedule milestones, revenue recognition ledger entries, expenses, and other items to bill. Does not include actuals.
- Variance reports: the difference between the planned performance and actual performance.
For more, please refer to the Help Center article on How Services Revenue is Forecasted in Ruddr.
You can access the Plan & Forecast reports section of Ruddr by clicking the Reports item in the main nav bar (Figure 1) on the left of the screen and then selecting the Plan & Forecast sub nav option.
Figure 1 - Clicking on Plan & Forecast in the Main Nav Bar to Access the Expenses Report Section
Viewing Data by Unit
Each report in the Plan & Forecast report section can be grouped and viewed by unit:
- Month
- Week
- Day
By default, each report in this section is set to group and display by Month. To change this grouping, select the desired value from the Unit dropdown (Figure 2) in the Filters drawer.
Figure 2 - Change the Unit by which you Choose to View the Plan & Forecast Reports
The following reports present differing views of data in your workspace:
Forecast Reports
Performance Forecast by Project
A project performance report combining past actuals and the future plan. This report defaults to showing all active projects in the workspace and does not factor in a time frame, as it covers the entirety of projects' actuals and plan. This report includes the following forecasted metrics for projects in your workspace:
- Hours
- Realization Rate
- Total Revenue
- Effective Bill Rate
- Total Cost
- Total Gross Profit
- Total Gross Margin
Performance Forecast by Project by Time Unit
A view of forecasted project performance for a specific timeframe. This report shows starting values prior to the reporting period, values for each time unit, and ending forecast values. When viewing the report, you have the ability to specify which project metric for which you want to view forecast:
- Total Revenue
- Total Gross Profit
- Total Cost
- Total Gross Margin
- Total Hours
Plan Reports
Hours Plan by Project and Resource
A summary of allocated hours grouped by project and the resources allocated to that project. This report will show allocated hours for members and for resource placeholders. Planned hours totals are available for each project.
Hours Plan by Resource and Project
A summary of allocated hours grouped by resource and the projects that each resource is allocated to. This includes both members and resource placeholders. Planned hours totals are available for each resource.
Performance Plan by Project
A summarized project performance plan, derived from resource allocations, billing schedule milestones, manual revenue recognition ledger entries, expense items, and other items to bill. This report includes the following planned metrics for projects in your workspace:
- Hours
- Revenue
- Effective Bill Rate
- Cost
- Profit
- Margin
For more on planned and forecasted revenue, please refer to this Help Center article on How Services Revenue is Forecasted in Ruddr.
Services Revenue Plan by Client and Project
Ruddr leverages billable allocations and Fixed Fee ledger entries to project services revenue. These allocations must be made to a billable project role that has an associated bill rate. That planned services revenue is available in the Services Revenue Plan by Client and Project report, which provides a view of the revenue grouped by client and project. There is a summary total of planned services revenue for each client.
Multicurrency and the Services Revenue Forecast by Client and Project Report
For workspaces that leverage Ruddr's Multicurrency feature, the Services Revenue Plan by Client and Project report provides the user with the ability to select the currency (Figure 3) that will be displayed (in addition to the project's currency) and also used for the CSV / Excel export.
Figure 3 - Currency Selector on the Expense Detail report
Note that the project's currency is displayed by default, but that the selected, alternate currency is also displayed (Figure 4) if the two currencies are different.
Figure 4 - Amounts are Available in a Single Currency while the Project's Currency is also Displayed
In the CSV / Excel export, the data will be presented in the currency specified by the Currency Selector (Figure 3).
Utilization Plan by Member
A projection of utilization based on members' future allocations. The utilization metrics available in this report are:
- Billable Utilization (default)
- Client Utilization
- Productive Utilization
- Total Utilization
To switch between the various metrics, select the Metric Selector (Figure 5) above the report results.
Figure 5 - Alternate Between Metrics Using the Metric Selector in the Report
Utilization Plan by Member Practice
A projection of utilization based on members' future allocations grouped by member practice. The utilization metrics available in this report are:
- Billable Utilization (default)
- Client Utilization
- Productive Utilization
- Total Utilization
To switch between the various metrics, select the Metric Selector (Figure 5) above the report results.
Variance Reports
Hours Variance by Member and Project
The variance between planned (allocated) hours and worked (actual) hours, grouped by Member and Project. The total variance of a unit is available for each member in the workspace, with a breakdown of variance by projects on which the member was a participant or to which they were allocated.
Hours Variance by Project and Resource
The variance between planned hours and worked hours grouped by project and resource. The total variance for each is project is presented, along with a breakdown of variance for each member on the project. This report will also present any hours that were allocated to resource placeholders.
Hours Variance by Project and Role
A look at the variance between planned hours and worked hours grouped by project and project role. If hours were logged on a project without a role assignment, or if an allocation was made to the project without a role, a row labeled "No Row Assignment" will be present.