Users often wonder how they can track project costs within Overyield for comparison to projected budgets. Eventually, we plan to develop an interface that enables budget and revenue tracking throughout the project lifecycle; however, this module will not be developed till 2024.
In the meantime, users have several options to model planned vs. actuals expenses in OY.
Option 1: Create a copy of the farm, in which actual expenses can be entered.
The benefit of this method is that alterations to the design can be captured within projections, and the set-up is much faster than Option 2. The disadvantage to this method is that planned vs. actual costs cannot be compared within the same dashboard. (Note: a feature that enables project comparison is in our product roadmap; however, in the meantime, you’ll need to compare the farms in separate windows).
Duplicate the farm via "Project Settings" → "Copy Farm."
Rename the copy, e.g. “[Farm name] - As-built,” “[Farm name] - Actuals,” etc.
Within the new farm, adjust the design as needed.
Via the Farm Data page of the project copy, erase all cost data by bulk deleting operations for each crop (this will automatically remove capexes from “use” on the farm, and in turn all associated capex costs.)
As the project is deployed, enter actual operations performed, taking care to include inputs data and actual capexes and tools purchased and used (you will likely need to add these inputs and capexes to your Farm Dataset).
You can also edit yield, revenue, and loss event data to reflect realized returns as the project progresses.
Option 2: Using section duplication & grouping to compare planned vs actuals.
This method takes longer to set up, but enables comparison of planned vs. actuals within the same project dashboard.
On your design page, duplicate all sections. Label each section duplicate accordingly (e.g. “Field 1 - actuals)
Group the sections that will represent the planned planting, and the sections that represent the actual planting, via the Section Group tool, naming each group accordingly (e.g. “Planned” / “Actuals”).
Via your Farm Data page, create a new crop template for each crop planted, labeling it accordingly (e.g. “Chinese Chestnut - actuals”).
Assign this new template to the duplicate rows/ fields in your design.
As they occur, enter actual operations performed within the new templates, taking care to include inputs data and actual capexes/tools purchased/used (you will likely need to add these inputs and capexes to your Farm Dataset).
You can also adjust yield, revenue, and loss event data within each template to reflect realized returns as the project progresses.
Finally, within your Projections, you can compare planned vs. actual costs accrued by comparing the Section Groups via the group filter.