Budgeting & Forecasting › Rolling Forecasts

What is a driver-based forecast?

Beginner

Answer

A driver-based forecast models financial outcomes from a small number of key business drivers (e.g., revenue = units x price; costs = headcount x cost per head), rather than extrapolating each line item. Changing a driver automatically updates the forecast, making it faster, more transparent, and easier to run scenarios—ideal for rolling forecasts.
Revenue = active customers x average revenue per customer.
Real-world example Modeling revenue from customer numbers lets the team re-forecast instantly when the customer trend changes.

Common follow-ups: Why are driver-based models good for rolling forecasts? | Give an example driver.