A cash review does not have to begin with a complicated spreadsheet. It begins with a bank balance that has been checked and a realistic view of what will move in and out of the account.
Choose the same day each week and use the same format. Consistency makes the changes visible.
The five useful lines
- Available cash: cleared funds the business can actually use, with any restrictions made explicit.
- Expected receipts: named customers, amounts and expected dates, with uncertain promises identified separately.
- Committed payments: wages, suppliers, rent and other obligations falling due in the review period.
- Overdue collections: the reason for delay, the person responsible and the next contact.
- Decisions required: purchases, deliveries or expenses that need an owner’s approval.
Separate a fact from an expectation
A confirmed transfer and a customer saying “next week” should not appear equally certain. Keep a base case and a delayed-receipt case. That simple distinction stops optimism from silently becoming a funding plan.
Where a payment is overdue, record whether it is a documentation problem, a dispute or a customer’s cash constraint. Each needs a different response.
End with actions
The review is useful only if someone does something afterwards. Assign a collection call, a corrected invoice or a supplier discussion. Write down the date of the next update.
Keep earlier versions rather than overwriting them. Over time, they show which customers pay as expected and which forecasts repeatedly move. Better forecasting starts with noticing those patterns, not with adding more columns.
