Compare forecast scenarios: what if income or costs change?

Change one assumption first

Start with the same source period and account classification. Change income alone first, then costs alone. This reveals which direction the result moves. Changing months, accounts and percentages together makes it difficult to identify the cause.

Then combine changes into a concrete story: fewer sales while rent and staffing cannot immediately fall, for example. Name the case after its assumptions rather than only optimistic or pessimistic. Record which event would trigger a change to the plan.

Example: one source file, three outcomes

The fictional source averages monthly income of €12,000 and costs of €9,000. In the growth case, income rises 8% and costs 5%. In the downside case, income falls 15% while costs still rise 5%. Percentages are applied once to the source amounts.

Assess what each result means for the plan

In the downside case, monthly profit is still €750, but annual profit is much lower than the base. Identify the spending, personal needs or commitments it was intended to cover. A positive result does not automatically make every payment date affordable. Combine the case with the cash schedule.

To investigate when costs are covered, use the break-even tool with an explicit split between fixed and variable costs. That split is an assumption of its own; an overall XAF growth percentage does not create it. Keep the source, percentages and meaning of each shared case.