Planning
Test a what-if scenario
Explore a hypothetical change while keeping Treasury, payroll, receipts, commitments, and other recorded facts unchanged.
In this guide
Prerequisites
- A reviewed current or base financial context.
- One decision question and the assumptions that would change it.
- A clear understanding that the result is hypothetical and not a recorded forecast guarantee.
Keep the scenario boundary visible
| Item | What it means | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Current or base context | The reviewed position built from recorded inputs and current planning context. | Remains the reference point for comparison. |
| Scenario assumption | A hypothetical change to a supported planning dimension. | Recomputes the scenario result without becoming a recorded fact. |
| Scenario result | The hypothetical output produced from the changed assumption. | Supports comparison and human judgment, not automatic execution. |
Build a focused scenario
Start from reviewed context
Confirm the current cash, payroll, receipts, commitments, and other inputs relevant to the question.
State the decision question
Use one clear question, such as whether the business can support a planned hire or how delayed collections change runway.
Change supported assumptions
Adjust only dimensions available in the current scenario surface. Hiring, costs, revenue or inflow changes, and timing are conceptual examples, not an exhaustive control list.
Read the hypothetical result
Compare the scenario with current context. Keep resulting runway, burn, cash, or budget values labeled hypothetical.
Return to current context
Discard or reset the non-persistent scenario when the review ends. Record real changes through their proper operating workflows.
What recomputes and what stays unchanged
| Item | What it means | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Hypothetical outputs | Supported scenario calculations respond to changed assumptions. | They show a comparison for the decision under review. |
| Treasury balances | Recorded held cash remains a recorded fact. | A scenario does not deposit or remove cash. |
| Active payroll | Recorded team reality remains unchanged. | A hypothetical hire does not modify active payroll. |
| Receipts | Recorded landed cash remains unchanged. | An expected inflow does not become a receipt. |
| Commitments | Recorded obligations remain unchanged. | A scenario does not mark an obligation paid or remove it. |
Useful scenario questions
Example
Four bounded examples
Each example changes a planning assumption while the recorded financial state remains intact.
- Hire
- What happens if a planned role starts in January rather than March?
- Tool or cost change
- What happens if a recurring cost falls in a future period?
- Customer or revenue change
- What happens if an expected customer receipt changes or is delayed?
- Funding timing
- What happens if hypothetical funding lands later than assumed?
Examples by business type
SaaS & Software
Test a future hire or customer loss without changing active payroll or recorded receipts.
Agencies & Consulting
Test delayed collections or a contractor change while current client and payroll records remain intact.
Healthcare & Clinics
Model a new practitioner or clinic cost as a planning assumption, not an active operating fact.
Retail & Stores
Test a new location or seasonal staffing change without rewriting current store performance.
Manufacturing
Model equipment timing or capacity cost while recorded commitments remain unchanged.
Food & Beverage
Test a new location, event, or staffing plan as a hypothetical case.
Logistics
Model route capacity, vehicles, or staffing without changing current cash and payroll records.
The operating nouns change. RunwayCal functionality and financial-truth boundaries do not.
Interpret scenario results responsibly
Scenario review
- Recorded current context
- Hypothetical assumption
- Recomputed scenario
- Comparison
- Human decision
- State which assumptions changed and which remained fixed.
- Treat runway as a planning signal, not a guarantee.
- Keep expected inflows separate from receipts that landed.
- Do not use a scenario result as permission to change payroll, commitments, or Treasury records.
- If the business acts, update the proper operating record as the real event occurs.
Keep the non-persistent boundary clear
Scenario work ends with the review. It is not automatically saved, named, duplicated, or applied to the recorded financial picture.
If the decision process needs a retained note, record the assumptions and conclusion through the team's agreed review process.
Troubleshooting and common questions
| Item | What it means | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| The scenario became the current number | The context may be unclear or a real record changed separately. | Return to current view and verify Treasury, payroll, receipts, and commitments. |
| The result feels too optimistic | An inflow, timing assumption, or cost may be incomplete. | Review every changed assumption against recorded facts. |
| The scenario is gone | Scenarios are non-persistent. | Record assumptions outside the review if the decision process needs a retained note. |
| A real decision was approved | The hypothetical case has moved into execution. | Update the relevant operating workflow as the real event occurs. |