For Project Controls & Cost Controllers
Turn project cost data into a controlled forecast.
A forecast is only controlled if the cost structure underneath it is consistent, the cost to date has been reconciled, and every movement can be traced to an assumption somebody changed on purpose.
Northgate Logistics Park — Phase 2
Forecast · Aug 2026 · Demo data
Approved Budget
£18,420,000
Original Budget + Approved Variations
Adj CTD
£11,964,300
Raw CTD + Adjustments
Forecast CTC
£6,941,100
Qty × Rate × Util%
Forecast Final Cost
£18,905,400
Adj CTD + CTC
Forecast Variance
£485,400 over
2.6% over Approved Budget
Where control breaks down
The forecast is downstream of everything else
Most forecast problems are not forecasting problems. They are structure, coding and reconciliation problems arriving late.
Cost coding drifts between projects
Each project ends up with its own interpretation of the breakdown, so comparing performance means normalising the data before you can read it.
Forecast movement cannot be attributed
The number changed, but not for a reason anyone recorded. Without the assumption behind the line, movement looks like noise instead of information.
Period reporting is rebuilt each month
The pack is assembled from extracts and workbooks. The effort goes into producing it rather than into what it says.
Roll-up inherits the weakest project
A summary is only as reliable as the least disciplined project underneath it, and there is usually no visible signal which one that is.
How Foras helps
Structure first, then a forecast that follows from it
A structure you define once
Cost codes carry the spine of the project. WBS elements and Work Items are optional and configured per project, so the structure matches how the job is actually run rather than forcing a template.
Cost to date you can stand behind
Captured cost, imported Finance actuals and recorded adjustments produce an adjusted cost to date. That single figure is what the forecast is built from.
Forecast arithmetic that is visible
Cost to complete is quantity × rate × utilisation on each forecast line. Forecast final cost is adjusted cost to date plus cost to complete, and variance is stated against approved budget.
Movement tied to an assumption
When the forecast changes, the changed line and the changed input are visible. Movement becomes explainable at line level rather than at project level.
Cost that cannot yet be attributed stays visible
Where cost has not been classified to a cost item, it remains in cost to date and is surfaced for investigation rather than being dropped or held in a side list.
Structure in use
Position by work breakdown, where the project uses one
WBS elements and Work Items are optional. Where they are configured, the position can be read against them as well as against cost codes.
Cost code 311 — Shoring
Position by WBS · Aug 2026 · Demo data
Parent cost code · Captured £1,426,700 · Finance £1,541,700 · orientation only, decisions are made on each leaf below.
| WBS element + Cost Item | Captured | Finance | Difference | Decision |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 02.10 Retaining Walls | £812,400 | £927,400 | −£115,000 | Match Finance |
| 03.20 Bridge Abutments | £498,300 | £471,900 | £26,400 | Timing |
| Unassigned WBSFinance must be attributed to a WBS before Match Finance can be used. | £116,000 | £142,400 | −£26,400 | Timing |
Actual Foras interface pattern. Values are illustrative demo data from the Northgate Logistics Park demo project.
What changes in practice
The same sequence, every period
- 01
Establish the breakdown
Cost codes, and WBS or Work Items where the project uses them, are set up before capture begins so classification has somewhere to land.
- 02
Lock the baseline
Approved budget becomes the fixed reference for variance. Unlocking requires a recorded reason and author, so a moved baseline is never silent.
- 03
Reconcile before reporting
Differences between captured cost and Finance actuals are settled with a recorded decision, so cost to date is agreed before it feeds the forecast.
- 04
Update forecast inputs deliberately
Remaining quantity, rate and utilisation are the levers. Changing them is the act of forecasting, and it leaves a record.
- 05
Report the same way every period
Approved budget, adjusted cost to date, cost to complete, forecast final cost and variance are the same measures every period and on every project.
What you get
Data you can rely on when it rolls up
Consistent data
The same cost structure and the same measures across projects, so comparison does not require normalisation first.
Explainable movement
Forecast change traces back to the line and the input that produced it.
Reconciled inputs
Cost to date is agreed against Finance before it is forecast from, not after the pack is issued.
Less manual assembly
Period reporting draws on a maintained position rather than a monthly rebuild.
Foras does not claim to predict the future. Forecasting is explicit arithmetic on your quantities, rates and utilisation, which is what makes the movement checkable.
Bring one project’s cost breakdown. We’ll show the forecast it produces.
Use your own cost codes and remaining quantities. We’ll walk through cost to complete, forecast final cost and variance against approved budget.