Getting Started
CAPACITY is an Excel-based spreadsheet but the Excel
functions are not accessible to the user. The program is fully protected
to prevent any changes to the formulae.
When you load CAPACITY therefore you will see that the normal Excel menus
and toolbars disappear.
If you need to access another Excel workbook at the same time you can
open Excel in another window. You will need to set your Window’s
task bar to auto-hide so that it can be displayed at the bottom of your
screen while CAPACITY is running. This will allow you to open Excel in
a second window to access other workbooks and also to access other applications.
A formula-viewing facility is also available. Simply click on the cell
to be viewed, then press Shift, Alt and F simultaneously and the formula
will be displayed.
There is also a facility for reducing the width of the spreadsheet by
selective hiding of columns:
1) The main menu at the top left can be hidden
2) The 30-year projections can be collapsed to show only years 0,5,10,15,20,25,30.
Both these collapsed formats can be printed.
The following is an overview of what you can do with the CAPACITY model:
| 1a) Create a new plan - input historical financials - input economic and business stream assumptions - view financial projections & financial analysis - save forecast |
1b) Reconcile an existing plan - input historical and forecast financials - input economic & business stream assumptions - reconcile forecast - view financial analysis - save forecast |
| 2) Carry out sensitivity analysis - retrieve new or existing plan - run scenarios and sensitivities - save scenarios - retrieve existing plan |
|
| 3) Aggregate and analyse data (HC / NHF use only) |
On selecting the program you will see a “splash” screen while the program is loading. After loading you will see the following “Home” page:
The home page is the “gateway” to the Model
and offers you the choice of:
Single Association
Peer Groups
Help
Quit
The “Peer Group” option is not available
to individual associations. The full menu structure is detailed in
“Navigating the Model” (The menus appear on the left
of each screen in a web-page style format).
If “Single Association” is selected the menu
allows you a choice of:
Retrieve/Update Existing Plan
Create New Plan
Selecting “Create New Plan” will display
the screen shown below.
You set up a new plan by first entering basic information regarding your
association into the white cells then clicking on the "Create
Now" button. The program saves the basic information and
prepares the data input screens. Selecting “Input Data”
takes you to the “General Assumptions” sheet
shown below.
You can scroll both vertically and horizontally to access the whole sheet.
The “Input Data” menu on the left of the
screen gives you access to the 19 input sheets available in the model
as well as the other parts of the model. When data has been entered on
any one of these sheets a tick automatically appears next to the relevant
menu item. The same menu appears on all 19 “Data Input”
sheets (16 different revenue streams plus general assumptions plus accounting
data, plus FV5 data as illustrated below).
Selecting “Retrieve/Update Existing Plan”
allows you to access the computer’s folders and select and load
a data file for an existing business plan. You need to know where the
data files have been stored on your system.
Try this now and select the file Bushmead.xls. As above, selecting“Input
Data” takes you to the “General Assumptions”
sheet. You can scroll both vertically and horizontally to access the whole
sheet. The “Input Data” menu on the left
of the screen gives you access to the 18 input sheets available in the
model as well as the other parts of the model.
When data have been entered on any one of these sheets a tick automatically
appears next to the relevant menu item. The same menu appears on all 18
“Data Input” sheets (16 different revenue streams,
general assumptions and accounting data). Look at these sheets and see
which ones have been entered for the sample association Bushmead and then
decide which ones are relevant to your association.
Selection of “Analysis” takes you to the
“Chart” sheet shown below. This provides a dynamic
window on all the ratios generated by the model. The menu on the left
gives access to the 14 analysis sheets shown below which are automatically
generated by the model. Select some of these analysis sheets now to see
what is available.
Income and Expenditure Account
Balance Sheet
Cash Flow Statement
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Financial Profile
Cash Flow Analysis
Profitability and Cash Flow Maps
Credit Maps
Charts
Combined Charts
Debt Capacity
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Revenue Summary
Expenses Summary
Reconciliation Factors
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Scenarios and Sensitivities
Selection of “Print Reports” allows you to
select any combination of input 
and analysis
sheets and/or predefined reports for printing. This command is available
on every sheet in the model. The selection of “Print”
allows you to print the current sheet in either black and white or colour.
This command is also available on every sheet in the model.
Selection of “Save” allows you to save the
current business plan data that has been input. You should save on a regular
basis as there is no auto-save facility.
Selection of “Quit” will close the application
and will prompt you to save the active plan if required.
The model works at two levels.
Firstly as a simple planning model where you input the
accounting data for the historical base year together with a set of core
assumptions to generate a dynamic 30 year forecast.
Secondly as a reconciliation model. In this case the
model uses the output from your own business plan together with some core
assumptions to replicate your plan in a standardised format which can
then be flexed and sensitised.
| << Reconciliation - Cash Flow Statement | Producing a new business plan >> |