Key idea: An estimate folder is the working container for one estimate.

ICE landing-page tile for Estimate Folder Register.

Estimate Folder Register is where that container is selected and opened.

Estimate Folder Register is where users open, identify, and manage estimate folders.

An estimate folder is the working container for one estimate. It holds the estimate’s setup, machine employment cases, forecast employment, operation model, overhead cost estimate, review outputs, and exports.

Purpose of Estimate Folder Register

Use Estimate Folder Register to access the estimate folders in ICE.

This is where users:

• open an existing estimate folder
• create a new estimate folder
• identify the estimate they want to work in

When to use it

Use Estimate Folder Register when you need to:

• start work on an estimate
• return to an estimate already in progress
• select the correct estimate folder for review or editing
• create a new estimate folder for a new estimating effort

What lives here

Estimate Folder Register contains the estimate folders available to the user.

Each estimate folder represents one working estimate and serves as the container for that estimate’s records, inputs, calculations, reviews, and exports.

What does not live here

Estimate Folder Register does not establish:

• Estimate Setup settings
• machine employment cases
• forecast employment
• operation cost factors
• overhead cost values
• foundation records

For the source of those values, see Where Data Is Established.

Relationship to the rest of ICE

Estimate Folder Register is the entry point to estimate work.

Users begin here because all estimate-specific work takes place inside an estimate folder. Once a folder is opened, users can move through the estimate workflow:

• Estimate Setup
• Employment Cases
• Forecast Employment
• Operation Model
• Overhead Cost Estimate
• Machine Employment Cost Estimates
• the areas that report aggregated fleet cost and resource requirements for the Rate Period
• export

In simple terms, Estimate Folder Register answers:

Which estimate folder am I working in?

Relationship to Foundation Data

Estimate folders are separate from Foundation Data.

An estimate folder contains estimate-specific work.

Foundation Data contains reusable records and references used to support estimates across the system.

This separation helps users:

• maintain permanent fleet and reference records outside estimates
• build machine employment cases inside estimates
• keep shared data distinct from estimate work

How to use it

Use this sequence:

1. Open Estimate Folder Register.

2. Select the estimate folder you want to work in, or create a new one.

3. Open the folder.

4. Complete or review the estimate using the estimate workflow areas inside that folder.

Tips

• Start in Estimate Folder Register whenever you want to begin estimate work.
• Confirm that you are in the correct estimate folder before editing inputs or reviewing outputs.
• Think of Estimate Folder Register as the doorway to estimate-specific work, while Foundation Data remains outside the estimate folder as shared support data.
  

Key idea: Estimate Setup establishes the modeling foundation for the estimate. Once that foundation is specified, Employment Cases, Forecast Employment, Overhead Cost Estimate, and Operation Model are used to model the corresponding aspects of machine employment for the employment cases included in Machine Employment Cost Estimates.

ICE landing-page tile for Estimate Setup.

Employment Cases defines the machines and their custody properties and cost factors; Forecast Employment models how much and when each machine will be employed; Overhead Cost Estimate models fleet overhead costs; and Operation Model models operation cost factors.

Estimate Setup establishes the estimate-wide settings and defaults used throughout the estimate folder.

Its content is organized under the interface headings Estimate Identification, Rate Period, Default Cost Factor Values, Default Rented and Leased Machine Cost Applicability Settings, and Other Settings.

Purpose of Estimate Setup

Use Estimate Setup before entering machine-level data to define the estimate framework, time period, default values, and calculation settings that apply throughout the estimate folder.

These settings support ICE calculations of machine employment costs, resource requirements, and charge rates.

When to use it

Use Estimate Setup when you need to:

• create or define a new estimate
• establish or revise the Rate Period
• set estimate-wide default cost factor values
• define default rent/lease cost applicability settings
• update other estimate-wide settings or defaults

What lives here

Estimate Setup contains the following content headings:

• Estimate Identification
• Rate Period: Date Range, Non-Work Days, Shift Arrangements, and Rental Period
• Default Cost Factor Values: Scheduled Cost Factors – Economy Driven and Default PM Routine Intervals
• Default Rented and Leased Machine Cost Applicability Settings
• Other Settings

Together, these settings establish common assumptions, defaults, and calculation rules for employment cases in the estimate folder.

What does not live here

Estimate Setup does not establish:

• machine properties
• custody properties or custody cost factors
• forecast employment
• operation cost factors
• fleet overhead expenses and Non-Pay Equipment costs

For the source of those values, see Where Data Is Established.

Estimate Identification

Estimate Identification displays the estimate number, estimate name, date created, last modified date, and author/estimator information for the active estimate.

These properties identify the estimate for future use, review, and reporting.

Rate Period

Rate Period contains the settings that define when the estimate applies and the work-calendar conditions used during that period.

Date Range

Use Date Range to specify the estimate’s Rate Period.

Non-Work Days

Use Non-Work Days to identify days that are not available for planned machine employment.

Shift Arrangements

Use Shift Arrangements to establish the work-pattern constraints used when ICE evaluates monthly Forecast Employment.

Rental Period

Use Rental Period to establish the rental-period settings used in rent-related calculations.

Default Cost Factor Values

Default Cost Factor Values contains estimate-wide defaults used to support machine employment cost calculations.

Scheduled Cost Factors – Economy Driven

Use Scheduled Cost Factors – Economy Driven to enter the applicable time-based labor and fuel cost values for the Rate Period.

Enter a value for every applicable month; a missing monthly value can understate the Rate Period cost for that cost factor.

Default PM Routine Intervals

Use Default PM Routine Intervals to establish the default employment intervals used to trigger preventive maintenance routines.

These defaults provide a starting point for downstream machine-level modeling and can be revised for a specific employment case.

Default Rented and Leased Machine Cost Applicability Settings

Use Default Rented and Leased Machine Cost Applicability Settings to specify Yes or No for each Cost Breakdown Structure component for the Rent and Lease custody types.

The settings are organized by Overhead, Custody, and Operation components and, for Overhead, by the applicable Cost Recovery Method.

A component set to No is excluded from the applicable rent or lease calculation.

The available commands can overwrite custom settings with defaults or copy settings from another estimate.

Other Settings

Use Other Settings to specify additional estimate-wide settings and default values.

The available commands can overwrite custom settings with defaults or copy settings from another estimate.

Estimate Setup shapes the estimate-wide modeling context, but completing Estimate Setup does not by itself determine whether an individual record is Complete, Incomplete, or Invalid. Record State is evaluated under the rules that apply to the subject record.

Relationship to the rest of the estimate

Estimate Setup comes first because it establishes the framework used by the rest of the estimate folder.

It works with:

• Employment Cases, which establishes machine-specific machine properties, custody properties, and custody cost factors
• Forecast Employment, which establishes the quantity, timing, and default monthly forecasts of employment
• Operation Model, which establishes operation cost factors
• Overhead Cost Estimate, which establishes fleet-level overhead costs

In simple terms, Estimate Setup defines the rules and defaults of the estimate before machine-specific and fleet-level inputs are added.

How to use it

Use this sequence:

1. Open or create the estimate folder.

2. Open Estimate Setup.

3. Review Estimate Identification.

4. Complete Rate Period settings: Date Range, Non-Work Days, Shift Arrangements, and Rental Period.

5. Complete Default Cost Factor Values: Scheduled Cost Factors – Economy Driven and Default PM Routine Intervals.

6. Complete Default Rented and Leased Machine Cost Applicability Settings.

7. Complete Other Settings.

8. Continue to Employment Cases.

Tips

• Complete Estimate Setup before entering detailed machine-specific inputs.
• Review Date Range, Non-Work Days, and Shift Arrangements carefully because they affect employment timing and status reporting.
• Enter all applicable Scheduled Cost Factors – Economy Driven values for the Rate Period.
• Review Default Rented and Leased Machine Cost Applicability Settings before finalizing rent or lease cases.
• Update Estimate Setup before final review and export when estimate-wide assumptions change.
  

Key idea: A machine employment case establishes the subject machine’s machine properties, custody properties, and custody cost factors for one employment scenario.

ICE landing-page tile for Employment Cases.

It does not establish the machine’s operation cost factors.

Employment Cases is where machine employment cases are created, edited, and managed for the current estimate folder.

A machine employment case is a record used to model one employment scenario for one machine within the current estimate folder. It establishes the subject machine’s machine properties, custody properties, and custody cost factors for that employment case.

It does not establish the subject machine’s operation cost factors. Those are established separately in the Operation Model.

Purpose of Employment Cases Register

Use Employment Cases to define the machine employment cases that make up the estimate.

This is the estimate-folder workspace for:

• adding machines from the Master Equipment List
• creating new machine records for analysis
• creating alternate employment cases for the same machine
• comparing different fleet composition and custody choices

When to use it

Use Employment Cases when you need to:

• add machines to the estimate
• define machine properties for an employment case
• define custody properties for an employment case
• define custody cost factors for an employment case
• test what-if scenarios
• compare rent, lease, and own options
• compare alternate employment cases for the same equipment number

What lives here

Employment Cases contains the machine employment records for the current estimate folder.

Each record establishes:

• the machine’s identifying and descriptive properties for the employment case
• the machine’s custody properties
• the machine’s custody cost factors

This area does not define the machine’s operation cost factors. Operation cost factors are defined in Operation Model.

Duplicate equipment numbers

Duplicate equipment numbers are allowed in Employment Cases.

That is intentional.

A machine employment case is an employment case, not just a unique fleet asset record. The same equipment number may appear more than once when you want to compare alternative employment cases for the same machine.

For example, you may create multiple cases for the same equipment number to compare:

• rent versus lease versus own
• different custody periods
• different custody cost factors
• different machine properties
• different fleet composition scenarios

Each of those records is treated as a separate machine employment case inside the estimate folder.

Relationship to the Master Equipment List

The Master Equipment List is the permanent record of the subscriber’s active fleet.

Employment Cases is different. It is the estimate-folder list of machine employment cases for the current estimate folder.

The relationship works like this:

• the Master Equipment List provides a source of active-fleet machine records
• those records can be added to the estimate folder as machine employment cases
• users can create additional machine employment cases directly in the estimate folder
• a new machine created for estimate analysis can later be added to the Master Equipment List if it becomes part of the active fleet

This allows ICE to support both controlled fleet records and flexible estimate modeling.

Master Equipment List relationship status

When a machine employment case is related to a Master Equipment List record, ICE can also reflect the relationship state between the estimate-folder record and the permanent fleet record.

In practical terms, the status is used like this:

• New: The machine employment case does not currently match a Master Equipment List source record for ongoing fleet reuse.
• Matched: The machine employment case matches the corresponding Master Equipment List record.
• Modified: The machine employment case and the corresponding Master Equipment List record no longer match because one side has been changed.

A common pattern is: add a machine from Master Equipment List, review or revise the estimate-folder case as needed for the current estimate, then decide whether the estimate-only changes should remain estimate-specific or should be carried back into the permanent fleet record.

Relationship to Forecast Employment and Operation Model

Employment Cases works with two other estimate areas:

Forecast Employment

Defines the rate-period employment quantities, timing, and default monthly forecasts for each machine employment case.

Operation Model

Defines the subject machine’s operation cost factors, or in other words, the model of how the machine will be employed. Examples include fuel consumption rates and intervals between corrective maintenance sessions.

Together, these areas define the full machine employment case:

• Employment Cases establishes machine properties, custody properties, and custody cost factors
• Forecast Employment establishes employment quantity, timing, and default monthly forecasts
• Operation Model establishes operation cost factors

How to use it

Use this sequence:

1. Open the estimate folder.

2. Open Employment Cases.

3. Add records from the Master Equipment List or create new records directly.

4. Add as many employment cases as needed to represent the machines and custody scenarios you want to analyze.

5. Use Forecast Employment to define employment quantity and timing for each machine employment case.

6. Use Operation Model to define operation cost factors for each machine employment case.

7. Review the estimate outputs.

Tips

• Do not treat Employment Cases as a permanent fleet register.
• Use multiple machine employment cases for the same equipment number when comparing alternatives.
• Use the Master Equipment List to maintain the permanent active fleet record.
• Use Operation Model to define how the machine is expected to be employed.
  

ARTICLE 08 OF 26 | SET UP

Forecast Employment

Key idea: Forecast Employment establishes both the quantity and timing of employment for each machine employment case during the Rate Period.

ICE landing-page tile for Forecast Employment.

ICE first inputs default monthly employment forecasts for overlapping months based on the employment forecast for the custody period. Users then review and refine those values.

It also reports whether that forecast:

• matches,
• under-runs,
• or over-runs

the applicable forecast employment for the overlapping custody period, and whether any month exceeds Shift Arrangements.

Forecast Employment is where the subject machine’s forecast employment is established for each machine employment case in the current estimate folder.

Forecast employment defines both:

• the quantity of employment expected for the machine, and
• when that employment is expected to occur during the Rate Period.

ICE uses these inputs to calculate employment-based costs, resource requirements, and charge rates.

Purpose of Forecast Employment Register

Use Forecast Employment to define how much each machine employment case is expected to work and when that work is expected to occur during the Rate Period.

This is where users establish the employment quantities and timing that drive machine-specific cost and resource calculations.

It is also where ICE:

• automatically inputs default employment forecasts for each month in the Rate Period that overlaps the subject machine’s custody period, based on the employment forecast for the custody period
• reports whether the employment forecast for each machine employment case is aligned with the custody plan established in Employment Case / Custody Properties
• reports whether the employment forecast complies with the Shift Arrangements established in Estimate Setup

When to use it

Use Forecast Employment when you need to:

• define employment quantities for a machine employment case
• define when employment will occur during the Rate Period
• distribute expected employment across months
• review and adjust the default monthly employment forecasts generated by ICE
• compare different employment levels or timing patterns for the same machine
• check whether the employment forecast matches the overlapping custody plan
• check whether monthly employment exceeds Shift Arrangements
• refine the estimate’s machine-specific cost and resource projections

What lives here

Forecast Employment contains the forecast employment inputs for each machine employment case.

These inputs establish:

• the quantity of employment expected for the machine during the Rate Period
• when that employment is expected to occur during the Rate Period
• the monthly distribution of employment, where applicable
• the default monthly employment forecasts automatically input by ICE for overlapping months, based on the employment forecast for the custody period

This area also reports the state of the employment forecast for each machine employment case.

What does not live here

Forecast Employment does not establish:

• machine properties
• custody properties
• custody cost factors
• operation cost factors
• fleet overhead expenses and Non-Pay Equipment costs

For the source of those values, see Where Data Is Established.

Relationship to Employment Cases

Each forecast employment record belongs to a machine employment case.

The machine employment case establishes the subject machine’s machine properties, custody properties, and custody cost factors.

Forecast Employment establishes how much that machine is expected to work and when that work is expected to occur during the Rate Period.

The custody period need not lie entirely within the Rate Period. ICE determines whether the custody period overlaps the Rate Period and bases employment planning and cost on the overlapping portion.

Together, these areas define both:

• the machine being modeled
• the quantity and timing of its planned employment

Default monthly employment forecast

For each machine employment case, ICE automatically inputs default employment forecasts for the months in the Rate Period that overlap the subject machine’s custody period.

These default monthly values are based on the employment forecast for the custody period.

This gives the user an initial monthly employment plan that reflects:

• the machine’s custody timing
• the portion of the custody period that overlaps the Rate Period
• the employment forecast established for the custody period

Users can then review and adjust those monthly values as needed.

Forecast Employment status

In the Forecast Employment register, ICE reports the state of the employment forecast for each machine employment case using the following definitions.

Matches

Total FERP equals the applicable forecast employment for the overlapping custody period planned in Employment Case / Custody Properties, and employment for all overlapping months complies with the Shift Arrangements specified in Estimate Setup.

Under-utilized

Total FERP is less than the applicable forecast employment for the overlapping custody period planned in Employment Case / Custody Properties, and employment for all overlapping months complies with the Shift Arrangements specified in Estimate Setup.

Over-utilized

Total FERP exceeds the applicable forecast employment for the overlapping custody period planned in Employment Case / Custody Properties, and employment for all overlapping months complies with the Shift Arrangements specified in Estimate Setup.

Matches & Excessive

Matches Custody Properties, and employment forecast for one or more months exceeds Shift Arrangements.

Over & Excessive

Over-utilized, and employment forecast for one or more months exceeds Shift Arrangements.

Under & Excessive

Under-utilized, and employment forecast for one or more months exceeds Shift Arrangements.

Validation against Shift Arrangements

Forecast Employment status is not only a planning label. It also reflects a rule check against the Shift Arrangements established in Estimate Setup.

In practical terms, this means:

• ICE compares the planned monthly employment with the available work hours allowed by the active Shift Arrangements for that month.
• A month can therefore become excessive even when the total forecast employment for the Rate Period appears reasonable.
• Users should review both the total forecast employment and the month-by-month work pattern when troubleshooting Forecast Employment status.

Applicable forecast employment for the overlapping custody period

The applicable forecast employment for the overlapping custody period is the calendar-day-prorated forecast employment for the number of calendar days in the Custody Period that overlap the Rate Period.

ICE uses this logic to automatically input default monthly employment forecasts for overlapping months.

Example

50 hours of forecast employment for a 10-calendar-day custody period = 5 hours per calendar day.

If that custody period overlaps the Rate Period by 5 calendar days, the applicable forecast employment for the overlapping period is 25 hours.

That overlapping employment becomes the basis of the default employment forecast for the subject overlapping month or months.

Relationship to Operation Model

Forecast Employment and Operation Model work together.

In simple terms:

• Forecast Employment answers: how much will the machine work, and when?
• Operation Model answers: what operation cost factors apply while it works?

ICE uses both to calculate machine-specific operation costs and resource requirements.

Relationship to estimate outputs

Forecast employment is one of the main drivers of:

• machine-specific cost calculations
• resource requirement calculations
• charge rate calculations
• monthly and rate-period summaries and tabulations

Changing either the quantity or timing of forecast employment can materially change the estimate’s outputs.

How to use it

Use this sequence:

1. Open the estimate folder.

2. Build the machine employment cases in Employment Cases.

3. Open Forecast Employment.

4. Review the default monthly employment forecasts automatically input for the overlapping months of each machine employment case.

5. Adjust the forecast employment quantities as needed.

6. Define when that employment is expected to occur.

7. Review the register’s employment status for each machine employment case.

8. Adjust the forecast if needed so it aligns with custody planning and Shift Arrangements.

9. Complete the machine’s operation cost factors in Operation Model.

10. Review the resulting estimate outputs.

Tips

• Review ICE’s default monthly employment forecasts before making manual changes.
• Use the default values as the starting point for planning, then refine them to reflect the actual expected timing of work.
• Use the employment status values to spot cases that are under-utilized, over-utilized, or planned beyond Shift Arrangements.
• Review the estimate’s outputs after updating forecast employment, because changes in employment quantity or timing can affect total cost, resource requirements, and charge rates.
  

Key idea: Forecast Employment establishes both the quantity and timing of employment for each machine employment case during the Rate Period. ICE first inputs default monthly employment forecasts for overlapping months based on the employment forecast for the custody period. Users then review and refine those values.

It also reports whether that forecast:

• matches,
• under-runs,
• or over-runs

the applicable forecast employment for the overlapping custody period, and whether any month exceeds Shift Arrangements.

Forecast Employment is where the subject machine’s forecast employment is established for each machine employment case in the current estimate folder.

Forecast employment defines both:

• the quantity of employment expected for the machine, and
• when that employment is expected to occur during the Rate Period.

ICE uses these inputs to calculate employment-based costs, resource requirements, and charge rates.

Purpose of Forecast Employment Register

Use Forecast Employment to define how much each machine employment case is expected to work and when that work is expected to occur during the Rate Period.

This is where users establish the employment quantities and timing that drive machine-specific cost and resource calculations.

It is also where ICE:

• automatically inputs default employment forecasts for each month in the Rate Period that overlaps the subject machine’s custody period, based on the employment forecast for the custody period
• reports whether the employment forecast for each machine employment case is aligned with the custody plan established in Employment Case / Custody Properties
• reports whether the employment forecast complies with the Shift Arrangements established in Estimate Setup

When to use it

Use Forecast Employment when you need to:

• define employment quantities for a machine employment case
• define when employment will occur during the Rate Period
• distribute expected employment across months
• review and adjust the default monthly employment forecasts generated by ICE
• compare different employment levels or timing patterns for the same machine
• check whether the employment forecast matches the overlapping custody plan
• check whether monthly employment exceeds Shift Arrangements
• refine the estimate’s machine-specific cost and resource projections

What lives here

Forecast Employment contains the forecast employment inputs for each machine employment case.

These inputs establish:

• the quantity of employment expected for the machine during the Rate Period
• when that employment is expected to occur during the Rate Period
• the monthly distribution of employment, where applicable
• the default monthly employment forecasts automatically input by ICE for overlapping months, based on the employment forecast for the custody period

This area also reports the state of the employment forecast for each machine employment case.

What does not live here

Forecast Employment does not establish:

• machine properties
• custody properties
• custody cost factors
• operation cost factors
• fleet overhead expenses and Non-Pay Equipment costs

For the source of those values, see the BetterDocs article “Where Data Is Established”.

Relationship to Employment Cases

Each forecast employment record belongs to a machine employment case.

The machine employment case establishes the subject machine’s machine properties, custody properties, and custody cost factors.

Forecast Employment establishes how much that machine is expected to work and when that work is expected to occur during the Rate Period.

The custody period need not lie entirely within the Rate Period. ICE determines whether the custody period overlaps the Rate Period and bases employment planning and cost on the overlapping portion.

Together, these areas define both:

• the machine being modeled
• the quantity and timing of its planned employment

Default monthly employment forecast

For each machine employment case, ICE automatically inputs default employment forecasts for the months in the Rate Period that overlap the subject machine’s custody period.

These default monthly values are based on the employment forecast for the custody period.

This gives the user an initial monthly employment plan that reflects:

• the machine’s custody timing
• the portion of the custody period that overlaps the Rate Period
• the employment forecast established for the custody period

Users can then review and adjust those monthly values as needed.

Forecast Employment status

In the Forecast Employment register, ICE reports the state of the employment forecast for each machine employment case using the following definitions.

Matches

Total FERP equals the applicable forecast employment for the overlapping custody period planned in Employment Case / Custody Properties, and employment for all overlapping months complies with the Shift Arrangements specified in Estimate Setup.

Under-utilized

Total FERP is less than the applicable forecast employment for the overlapping custody period planned in Employment Case / Custody Properties, and employment for all overlapping months complies with the Shift Arrangements specified in Estimate Setup.

Over-utilized

Total FERP exceeds the applicable forecast employment for the overlapping custody period planned in Employment Case / Custody Properties, and employment for all overlapping months complies with the Shift Arrangements specified in Estimate Setup.

Matches & Excessive

Matches Custody Properties, and employment forecast for one or more months exceeds Shift Arrangements.

Over & Excessive

Over-utilized, and employment forecast for one or more months exceeds Shift Arrangements.

Under & Excessive

Under-utilized, and employment forecast for one or more months exceeds Shift Arrangements.

Validation against Shift Arrangements

Forecast Employment status is not only a planning label. It also reflects a rule check against the Shift Arrangements established in Estimate Setup.

In practical terms, this means:

• ICE compares the planned monthly employment with the available work hours allowed by the active Shift Arrangements for that month.
• A month can therefore become excessive even when the total forecast employment for the Rate Period appears reasonable.
• Users should review both the total forecast employment and the month-by-month work pattern when troubleshooting Forecast Employment status.

Applicable forecast employment for the overlapping custody period

The applicable forecast employment for the overlapping custody period is the calendar-day-prorated forecast employment for the number of calendar days in the Custody Period that overlap the Rate Period.

ICE uses this logic to automatically input default monthly employment forecasts for overlapping months.

Example

50 hours of forecast employment for a 10-calendar-day custody period = 5 hours per calendar day.

If that custody period overlaps the Rate Period by 5 calendar days, the applicable forecast employment for the overlapping period is 25 hours.

That overlapping employment becomes the basis of the default employment forecast for the subject overlapping month or months.

Relationship to Operation Model

Forecast Employment and Operation Model work together.

In simple terms:

• Forecast Employment answers: how much will the machine work, and when?
• Operation Model answers: what operation cost factors apply while it works?

ICE uses both to calculate machine-specific operation costs and resource requirements.

Relationship to estimate outputs

Forecast employment is one of the main drivers of:

• machine-specific cost calculations
• resource requirement calculations
• charge rate calculations
• monthly and rate-period summaries and tabulations

Changing either the quantity or timing of forecast employment can materially change the estimate’s outputs.

How to use it

A typical workflow is:

1. Open the estimate folder.

2. Build the machine employment cases in Employment Cases.

3. Open Forecast Employment.

4. Review the default monthly employment forecasts automatically input for the overlapping months of each machine employment case.

5. Adjust the forecast employment quantities as needed.

6. Define when that employment is expected to occur.

7. Review the register’s employment status for each machine employment case.

8. Adjust the forecast if needed so it aligns with custody planning and Shift Arrangements.

9. Complete the machine’s operation cost factors in Operation Model.

10. Review the resulting estimate outputs.

Best uses

Use Forecast Employment when:

• building the first version of an estimate
• adjusting expected machine utilization
• changing the timing of employment across the Rate Period
• refining monthly cost and resource projections
• testing different work schedules or demand assumptions

Tips

• Review ICE’s default monthly employment forecasts before making manual changes.

• Use the default values as the starting point for planning, then refine them to reflect the actual expected timing of work.

• Use the employment status values to spot cases that are under-utilized, over-utilized, or planned beyond Shift Arrangements.

• Review the estimate’s outputs after updating forecast employment, because changes in employment quantity or timing can affect total cost, resource requirements, and charge rates.

Related help: use the ICE landing page to open the corresponding area, or select another BetterDocs article for the next workflow step.