Multi-Project Consolidated Model
This use case shows how to build a consolidated model for multiple construction and contracting projects using Model Reef.
You will:
Represent each project as its own branch.
Combine project level revenue, cost and cashflow into a portfolio view.
Include overheads and financing at group level.
Use scenarios to test different combinations of project wins, delays and cancellations.
This structure replaces spreadsheet based consolidation and makes it easier to see the portfolio as a whole.
When to use this pattern
Use this pattern when:
You manage several concurrent projects or a rolling portfolio of contracts.
You need to understand group cashflow, profit and funding needs across the portfolio.
You want to test which projects to prioritise, defer or decline.
It assumes you have already built project level structures such as Project Cash Flow (Milestones) and optionally WIP and Cost-to-Complete Forecasting.
Architecture overview
The multi project model consists of:
Branch tree
One branch per project.
Optional grouping branches by region or business unit.
A group branch for consolidated results.
An overheads branch for central costs.
Project level variables
Revenue, COGS, labour, subcontractors and other direct costs.
Project specific assets, financing and working capital.
Group level variables
Head office costs.
Shared assets and debt.
Equity injections and dividends.
Portfolio outputs
Group P&L, Balance Sheet, Cashflow and Cash Waterfall.
Portfolio dashboards and funding analysis.
Build or import project level models
Start from a base model that contains a single project branch with:
Contract and milestone drivers.
Project level revenue and cost variables.
Timing and cashflow behaviour configured.
Clone that branch for each active or planned project, adjusting drivers to match the specific contract. Alternatively, if you have separate models per project already, recreate them as branches in a new consolidated model using consistent structures.
You should end up with branches such as:
GroupProject - Hospital ExtensionProject - School RefurbishmentProject - Retail FitoutOverheads
Ensure consistent category and variable structures
For consolidation to be meaningful:
Use the same category and subcategory layout for revenue and costs across projects.
Use consistent naming and tagging conventions for variables, such as:
Revenue - Contract - Project Name.COGS - Materials - Project Name.Staff - Site Supervisors - Project Name.
This allows reports and dashboards to aggregate and compare projects cleanly.
Add overheads and financing at group level
In the Overheads or Group branch, create variables for:
Head office salaries.
Central administration and compliance.
Group wide insurance and systems.
Bank loans and group level financing.
Equity injections and dividends if relevant.
These variables will not belong to any single project but will affect group P&L and cashflow.
If you want to allocate overheads back to projects for fully loaded margin analysis, see Office or Team Profitability Modelling and Build Cross Branch Drivers and Dependencies.
Consolidate project cashflows and profitability
Model Reef automatically aggregates variables from project branches into the Group branch. Use this to create:
Group level P&L showing total revenue and cost across all projects plus overheads.
Group Cashflow Statement and Cash Waterfall showing total cash in and out.
Portfolio profitability and margin metrics.
Build dashboards that show, for example:
Revenue and margin by project and in total.
Cashflow contributions by project.
Top projects by revenue, margin, cash consumption or cash generation.
Analyse portfolio funding requirements
Use group level cashflow outputs to determine:
Peak cash deficit across the portfolio.
Timing of funding requirements.
Contributions from specific projects to cash strain.
You can then test different portfolio compositions by adjusting project assumptions, start dates or whether a project proceeds at all, and observing the effect on group funding needs.
If needed, add debt drawdown and repayment variables at group level to simulate funding solutions.
Use scenarios for portfolio strategy
Because scenarios are implemented as separate models, you can create different portfolio strategies by cloning the consolidated model and altering:
Which projects are included.
Project start dates and durations.
Win or loss of major tenders.
Contract terms, margins and risk allowances.
Example scenarios:
Base portfolio as currently expected.
Conservative portfolio excluding high risk or low margin projects.
Aggressive portfolio with additional wins and faster expansion.
Compare scenarios using:
Group level P&L.
Cashflow and funding metrics.
Key portfolio KPIs such as average margin and revenue mix by project type.
Extend to pipeline and backlog
You can link this structure to pipeline models by:
Adding branches for likely future projects with lower probability weighting.
Converting them to committed projects in the base model when work is won.
Using separate scenario models to represent different win rates and pipeline conversions.
This allows you to track how the combination of current projects and likely pipeline affects the future portfolio.
Check your work
Each project branch contains only that project’s variables.
Overheads and financing are clearly separated at group level.
Group results reconcile to the sum of projects plus overheads.
Portfolio dashboards are easy to read and reflect known project characteristics.
Troubleshooting
Related guides
Last updated