How does AlibeeZ solve the challenge of forecasting for fixed-price projects?
AlibeeZ addresses the complexity of managing and forecasting fixed-price projects by moving from simple time tracking to proactive management of project health and profitability. Whereas many solutions are primarily designed for time and materials billing, AlibeeZ is designed to manage the specificities of fixed-price projects using several key levers.
1. The “Work Remaining” metric
The core of the AlibeeZ forecasting solution is based on the “Work Remaining” field. Unlike some ERPs (e.g., BoondManager) that do not focus on this point, AlibeeZ allows (or requires) project managers to update the estimate of work remaining.
- Real-time profitability: by comparing what has already been produced with what remains to be produced, you can see at any time whether the project is making or losing money.
- Detection of deviations: AlibeeZ keeps a history of updates, allowing you to track the progress of the project and identify budget slippages early in the cycle.
2. Integrated financial and operational oversight
AlibeeZ acts as a central hub that links technical progress to financial results to make forecasts more reliable.
- Synchronization with Jira: to avoid the “nightmare” of double entry, AlibeeZ can synchronize with tools such as Jira. It retrieves the times entered and comments in the ERP, so that the project manager can review the financials of the work remaining without imposing multiple tools on the teams.
- Reliable margin calculation: this integration gives finance teams a clear, real-time view of production calculations and margins—often missing or inaccurate in “monolithic” systems that poorly connect CRM and production.
3. Proactive financial management
For long or complex projects, forecasting becomes a tool for protecting the financial health of the company.
- Loss to completion (LTC): AlibeeZ helps identify when estimated costs exceed projected revenue, so that losses can be anticipated and accounting provisions made immediately, rather than discovering them at the end of the fiscal year.
- Forecasting resource requirements: Forecasting allows you to anticipate future assignments and recruitment needs, so you can adjust staffing at the right time.
4. Continuous improvement of future estimates
By analyzing historical data (time spent per phase, task types, etc.), teams have a concrete basis for refining future estimates.
The result: fixed-price contracts are based more on actual production data than on “instinct,” which improves operational performance and long-term profitability.