How to Audit a SaaS Forecast in Under 60 Minutes

Most SaaS forecasts are wrong.
Not because the logic is bad.
Because no one challenges the story the numbers are telling.

In 2025, the pace of GTM shifts, pricing compression, and AI-induced chaos means one thing for finance teams:

If you don’t audit your forecast monthly, you’re not forecasting.
You’re guessing.

We’re going to walk you through how we audit a SaaS forecast in under 60 minutes. This isn’t about hunting for formula errors. It’s about testing the assumptions that drive real-world performance.

And fixing the ones that quietly destroy cash.

What We’re Looking for in Every Forecast Audit

There are three categories we check every time:

Assumption decay
Structural blind spots
Operational disconnects

Assumption decay is when your inputs no longer reflect current behavior. CAC lags by 90 days. Churn was modeled off 2023. Expansion assumes the product does something it doesn’t anymore.

Structural blind spots are what the model never captured. Your CAC includes media but not headcount. Ramp time is flat across segments. Enterprise payment terms are missing from cash flow.

Operational disconnects are when the model makes sense but no one’s running the business that way. Your forecast expects eight reps at 80% quota, but half are in onboarding. Your GTM team froze spend but finance hasn’t modeled the delta yet.

How We Do It in Under an Hour

This isn’t a rebuild. It’s a teardown.

Here’s the exact 60-minute audit framework we run with our SaaS clients.

0–10 Minutes
Pull the core outputs: revenue, margin, burn, headcount, runway
Ask: what story does this model tell if I only look at the outputs?

10–30 Minutes
Open the assumptions tab
For each core metric, ask: where did this number come from? When was it last updated? Who owns it?

30–45 Minutes
Scan for common blind spots:
CAC not fully burdened
Ramp time not tied to hiring month
Expansion modeled flat across segments
Burn rate smoothed across functions
Cash flow ignoring real collection timing

45–60 Minutes
Review GTM plans
Ask GTM leads: which of these assumptions do you disagree with?
Model 1–2 changes on the fly and check impact on runway and hiring

This audit doesn’t just improve the model.
It improves trust between finance and operators.

Five Audit Flags That Should Trigger an Immediate Model Review

  1. CAC by channel hasn’t been updated in 60+ days

  2. Pipeline coverage dips below 2x quota

  3. Forecast assumes zero churn in enterprise

  4. Sales team plans changed but forecast doesn’t reflect it

  5. Collection assumptions are still based on 2023 payment behavior

If two or more of these show up, the model needs a reset—not a patch.

Bullet List: Key Questions We Ask in Every Forecast Audit

  • Where is the model making up for reality instead of reflecting it?

  • What inputs are frozen in time while the business has moved on?

  • Are forecasted headcount assumptions tied to recruiting speed and ramp?

  • Are cash flow assumptions linked to real AR data?

  • If the board saw this today, what would they challenge?

One Table: Forecast Audit Punch List

Area What We Look For Why It Matters
CAC assumptions Fully burdened by channel, refreshed GTM efficiency and hiring accuracy
Ramp time Varies by role, linked to hire date Impacts bookings and cash timing
Burn rate Modeled dynamically by function Avoids smoothed cost illusions
Revenue logic Segmented by cohort or product Avoids blended averages hiding risk
Cash flow timing Based on collections, not bookings Preserves runway accuracy

What We’ve Learned

Every time we run this audit, we find something that was quietly killing the model.

A forecast is only useful if it reflects the reality the team is living in.
Most don’t. They reflect the finance team’s last approved narrative.

The audit re-centers your forecast around actual business motion. It gives you a baseline you can trust again.

And in a year like 2025—when every assumption has a half-life—you don’t need a perfect model.

You need one that’s grounded in truth, fast to adjust, and credible with the board.

If you haven’t run an audit on your SaaS forecast in the last 30 days, we’ll do it with you—live.

No slide deck. No clean-up needed. We’ll meet your forecast where it is and break it open.

DM us or contact us through our site to book a teardown. We’ll bring the checklist. You bring the forecast.

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