You can enter a figure directly into a cash-flow cell instead of relying only on the spread tool. Work from left to right: later months adjust to allocate the remaining amount while earlier months stay unchanged.
Example: adjust a £100,000 build cost
- Spread £100,000 evenly across Months 2–5. Each month starts at £25,000.
- Change Month 2 to £40,000. The remaining £60,000 is spread across Months 3–5 at £20,000 each.
- Change Month 4 to £30,000. Months 2 and 3 stay at £40,000 and £20,000. Month 5 adjusts to £10,000 so the total remains £100,000.
| Stage | Month 2 | Month 3 | Month 4 | Month 5 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Initial spread | £25,000 | £25,000 | £25,000 | £25,000 | £100,000 |
| Edit Month 2 | £40,000 | £20,000 | £20,000 | £20,000 | £100,000 |
| Edit Month 4 | £40,000 | £20,000 | £30,000 | £10,000 | £100,000 |
Use the remaining assignable amount to check what has been allocated and what remains. The same principle applies to an S-curve distribution: review the remaining months after each manual edit.