Question:
After a manual budget revision, we looked at the BFA workbook in Project Analysis mode and were surprised to see that our FAC numbers did not match our budget numbers. Doesn’t the FAC get updated when the EAC (budget) gets revised?
Answer:
The answer is not as straightforward as “yes” or “no”. There are certain things to consider and realize:
- EAC and FAC get updated differently
- EAC in the BFA workbook is updated by approved manual Budget revision docs.
- FAC in the BFA workbook is updated by approved Forecast docs.
- Depending on configuration, both EAC and FAC in the BFA workbook can be updated by approved Change Orders docs.
Note: In V2016, a budget revision cannot update BOTH EAC and FAC without also updating ORIGINAL (this is a DSL restriction); V2017 adds this functionality by automatically creating and posting a forecast with the same changes.
- Forecasting has some “rules” about inferring the “new FAC.”
- If a line has had no manual changes
- and the EAC amount is greater than the FAC amount, then FAC will be made to equal the EAC.
- and the Actual + Committed amount is greater than the FAC amount, then the FAC will be made equal to the Act + Comm.
Note: in both cases, the Spitfire-suggested amounts will appear in the FAC workbook’s Working FAC column. The Last Posted column will reflect the prior FAC amounts before any changes. The Working FAC column can be edited. When the Forecast document is approved, the Working FAC amounts will be posted.
- But if an amount was manually set in a previously saved (and approved) Forecast document, then the auto-update based on EAC is disabled and the FAC amount is locked in (unless a Change Order is approved). Such lines are identified on the BFA as purple text on cyan.
- If a line has had no manual changes
Together, this means that when a manual Budget revision is used instead of a Change Order to change an amount that has been previously changed by a Forecast document, the EAC and FAC amounts will not match. In such a situation, a change to the FAC through an approved Forecast document can be used to match the numbers again. As an alternative, you can open the Forecast Data Entry form on the BFA (Forecast mode) and use the Clear Applied button to delete all previously applied changes on that forecast so the automatic updating of FAC to match EAC can happen.
KBA-01702; Last updated: October 19, 2017 at 9:00 am