Management can make or break a development. As projects grow in size and complexity, spreadsheets and disconnected systems often fall short, leaving developers exposed to errors, delays, and, at worst, risk of cash flow mismanagement and insolvency.
Anthony Lisbona, Product Manager at Altus Group, said custom Excel models built internally and repeatedly reworked to adapt them to individual projects leave developers exposed to costly errors and inefficiencies. “Excel-based models can embed mistakes worth millions and must be rebuilt to adapt them to each new project,” he said. He said adopting a centralised platform like ARGUS EstateMaster provided a single source of truth, helping teams make faster and more confident decisions throughout the project lifecycle. Integration from Start to Finish ARGUS EstateMaster brings feasibility and cash flow management together in one integrated platform, combining project modelling, budgeting, and portfolio-level reporting to provide a comprehensive financial view at every stage. Its modular design lets developers appraise opportunities, evaluate land values, calculate KPIs like margin, NPV, and IRR, and then manage budgets while updating forecasts with actuals as projects progress. Portfolio-level tools consolidate reporting across multiple sites, helping developers monitor profit forecasts, equity utilisation, and debt exposure with confidence. “ARGUS EstateMaster allows developers to move seamlessly from feasibility to acquisition and then track projects through to completion,” Mr Lisbona said. “It centralises financial data, supporting efficient reporting and giving teams clearer insight into performance across multiple projects.” The Visibility Advantage Beyond tracking inflows and outflows, ARGUS EstateMaster enables developers to analyse how cash flow aligns with project performance.
By capturing accurate build times, costs, and revenue forecasts, developers can benchmark performance, spot trends, and anticipate risks before they escalate. “Consolidating cash flow data across projects allows teams to identify trends, potential shortfalls, and areas of risk,” he said. “This level of visibility enables developers to adjust forecasts quickly and make informed decisions on funding and resource allocation.”
At a Glance
- Monitor budgets, costs, revenues, and funding across every stage of development
- Consolidate portfolio-wide data for accurate reporting on profit, equity, and debt requirements.
- Identify cost pressures early and adjust forecasts instantly.
- Standardise assumptions across projects to minimise errors.
- Integrates with accounting (Xero, QuickBooks, MYOB), CRM (Salesforce, Propertybase), and Microsoft Office.
Data, AI and Portfolio-Level Oversight Looking ahead
- Mr Lisbona said developers are increasingly using data and emerging technologies to manage cash flow more proactively. “We are already seeing a growing interest in using AI to test multiple scenarios quickly and reach target returns on equity,” he said. He also anticipates a greater emphasis on portfolio-wide oversight. “Instead of analysing projects in isolation, developers are consolidating data across projects to gain a holistic view of their performance and debt exposure, as well as assisting them to make smarter capital allocation decisions,” he said. “An integrated system like ARGUS EstateMaster gives developers insight across their entire portfolio - not just a 12 or 18-month horizon - supporting strategic planning and long-term performance.”
To explore real-time flow management, request your free trial of ARGUS EstateMaster at: https://www.altusgroup.com/solutions/argus-estatemaster/
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