A forecast that keeps up with your business.
Static annual budgets go stale the moment they are approved. IDU gives your team driver-based projections, periodic reforecasting, and, where appropriate, rolling forecasts, all refreshed with actuals from your ERP.
Three ways IDU forecasts stay current.
Change the driver. The forecast updates.
IDU forecasts connect to operational drivers — headcount, unit volumes, contract values, utilisation rates. Change an assumption and every affected line recalculates automatically. Finance and operations work from the same driver definitions; no manual rework, no broken formulas.
Incorporate new information without starting over.
Markets shift. Contracts close early. A cost centre overspends. IDU lets your team reforecast mid-cycle — incorporating new information into the existing model while preserving the original baseline for comparison. Monthly cadence aligned with your budget sets; ad-hoc when conditions demand.
A forecast that extends as your year progresses.
Where rolling forecasts fit, IDU supports them. The forecast maintains a continuous horizon — twelve months ahead — regardless of where you sit in the financial year. Best suited to organisations already operating on monthly forecast cycles.
Capabilities.
Variance analysis
Compare actuals against budget, forecast, and prior periods. See where performance differs, without manual reporting or reconciliation.
Multi-scenario comparison
Run best case, worst case, and most likely forecasts side by side. Compare them in one view to make decisions, not guesses.
ERP integration
Actuals flow in from your ERP on a continuous sync. Forecasts always start from real numbers, not last month’s export pasted into a spreadsheet.
Near-real-time actuals
ERP data refreshes on a schedule, as frequently as required. Variances update with each refresh.
FAQs about forecasting with IDU.
What types of forecasting does IDU support?
IDU supports driver-based forecasting, periodic reforecasting, and rolling forecasts. Forecasts are updated monthly, aligned to the underlying budget.
How does IDU forecasting connect to our actual financial data?
IDU integrates directly with your ERP, with actuals flowing in automatically on a scheduled basis. Forecasts always start from real numbers, not manually captured data. As actuals refresh, forecast vs actual variances update with each sync, and open forecast periods can be adjusted.
Can departments manage their own forecasts?
Each department or cost centre maintains its own forecast while finance sees the consolidated view. Changes at department level roll up automatically, with no need to collect or merge spreadsheets.
How does IDU handle forecast revisions without losing the original?
IDU supports as many forecast versions as required, across periods and years. Every submission is timestamped and retained, allowing you to compare the current forecast to any prior version. Your approved budget remains untouched, with revised forecasts layered alongside it.
Does IDU support integrated financial forecasting?
IDU supports integrated planning across the income statement, balance sheet, and cash flow. Forecasting can also extend to operational areas such as headcount, capex, and project costs, all connected within the same model.
How long does it take to get forecasting up and running?
Most organisations are live within weeks. IDU reads your existing chart of accounts and organisational structure from your ERP. If you already use IDU for budgeting, forecasting builds on the same data structures.
What happens once my budget is approved?
It becomes the live operating plan against which actuals are tracked monthly. You see variance the moment it appears — not at year-end. Forecasts are layered on top so the original budget stays intact, and your access stays the same: drill, comment, and reforecast as the year develops.
The system is helping us drive business ownership of budgeting and reporting processes.
For the first time we have been able to include more people in the budgeting process, increasing involvement and transparency.
A forecast you can act on.
Replace static annual forecasts with driver-based projections that update as your business changes. See IDU in action, live.