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Invest Sign v3.78 in Detailed

With Invest Sign, effective project budgeting, financial and risk analytics software, you will always have well supported decisions in any project and enterprise area. Invest Sign allows companies to describe their projects, analyse them with finance and risk analysis, run Monte Carlo simulations, perform sensitivity and scenario analyses, export financial reports such as investment costs, operational costs, financial funds, financial sheets and other reports to your presentations and create well based decisions.

Budgeting and Planning

It is more easy to adjust Invest Sign v3.78 to project type (or enterprise if you are preparing business plan or want to make decisions related with enterprise), estimated lifetime, project condition, market, project requirements and country tax policy.

Managing Multiple Project types Invest Sign allows quickly describe costs, income, funds of sources and focus on project. The program manages multiple types of project including time and materials, fixed price and cost plus projects. In general, describing project (or enterprise business plan) with Invest Sign can encompass these steps:

1. Easy adjusting Invest Sign to your Project or Enterprise requirements
First, you have to adjust Invest Sign to your project type (or enterprise if you are preparing business plan or want to make decisions related with enterprise), estimated lifetime, project condition, market requirements and country tax policy.

2. Describing investment
Second, you have describe what investment you are going to make.

3. Describe operational plan:
Thirdly, you have to describe planning operational activity, which you will have during project lifetime.

      Production costs - operational costs as for example direct material and labour costs, overheads, administrative expenses, selling and distribution costs, interest expenses.

      Revenues and other Income - income from sales or other revenue and benefits you will get as results of your project activity.

      Need of working capital - you have to enter turnover minimum (in days) for sections as Accounts receivable, detailed Inventory, Cash in account, Payable accounts and others, so forecast needed working capital for every year.

4. Choose and optimize needed funds
Fourthly, you have to describe financial funds which you have (planning to have).

Invest Sign helps with all these steps by providing a powerful and flexible tool that makes needed model for your project and prepares all needed financial accounts and other summary output data for analysis. The results that Invest Sign generates can then be used by the project manager to help decide about project.

Step 1: Adjusting Invest Sign to your Project requirements

The first step is adjusting Invest Sign to your project requirements to represent your situation. Because you are working with Project, you are unlimited in what type of Project you can model. You might be constructing a new product and want to determine what the budget and deadline should be. Or, you may be purchasing a new computer system to your organisation and want to evaluate the productivity. Whatever your situation, Invest Sign can help!

You can flexible adjust Invest Sign to country tax policy as VAT deduction, national insurance contribution, profit tax, real estate tax and insurance and other tax policy and market variables.

Step 2: Describing investment

The second step is describing costs related with investment. The investment costs in Invest Sign are divided into two groups - cardinal investment costs (related with long term asset as equipment, buildings, territory and others) and prior-manufacturing costs (other costs, related with research, preparative research and experimentation; project realization costs as organizing supply, marketing, selection of personal, seeking for partners, managing project realization and others).

Step 3: Describing operational plan

The structure of Invest Sign allows quickly describe operational costs, revenues and focus on project:

Describe your Project no matter how complex or simple it is

Production costs To get all needed summary reports you have to describe production costs in detailed as direct material costs, direct labour costs, overheads, administrative expenses. At this stage you have to enter all needed data related with operational costs, define and calculate amortization.

It's important that the type you are using for describing costs for every year will allow to analysing the costs and performing all needed financial analysis later. Invest Sign gives you this opportunity!

Sales and other income You have possibility to describe income for each product (or group of products) and services. Invest Sign prepares all needed financial summary tables to analyse with income related data.

Need of working capital After you described production costs you have the amount of needed working capital. The working capital is used as Investment costs and the need for every year you will get when you enter turnover minimum (in days) for sections as Accounts receivable, detailed Inventory, Cash in account, Payable accounts and others.

Step 4: Choose needed financial sources

The fourth step is to describe sources of finance. You have to enter data of financial means you can get as share capital (increase in share capital), commercial and not credits, subsidies, credits of suppliers, leasing and others. In this step if there are credits you have to schedule their payback and interests if credits are commercial. Manager can choose various types of financial means and choose the best one which the most increases project value.

Multiple Forecasts Business managers and decision-makers can examine multiple scenarios, fine-tuning assumptions about projected resource usage, performance and milestones. The solution provides the ability to take a live plan off-line, adjust it to reflect new business priorities and review the impact across the whole organisation. The result: any guesswork is taken out of the budgeting, planning and resourcing processes. Organisations can quickly react to changes and see these changes as part
of the whole corporate perspective. You have visibility into multiple forecasts, such as calculated, upside case, base case, downside case, and override, enabling you to easily, accurately triangulate forecasts or model ‘what-if’ scenarios when priorities change.

Services and Product Catalogue Invest Sign services and products catalogue lets you organize your portfolio of service and product offerings, facilitating the sales process. As prospects move to preferred clients, you can provide standard pricing to target segments and personalized pricing for recurring and contracted services. The Catalogue also manages discounting rules for accounts contracting volume or multiple services.

Integrated Commissions Invest Sign offers commissions tracking, which are critical for motivating sales teams through real-time visibility, reduced errors, and accurate, timely payment. Managed in-system, integrated commissions reduce overhead in sales operations, and eliminate shadow tracking by sales representatives.

Project Costing and Returns

Forecasting the future cost and revenue of projects provides essential benchmarking for developing bids, requesting budgets and tracking project progress. Forecasts can be created for any number of future projects. Using Invest Sign, forecasts can be adjusted to account for capacity and skill issues. In addition, estimates can be generated without assigning real resources and virtual resources can be used to produce a role-specific forecast.

Manage projected Costs and Returns Real time budget control ensures your projects are managed profitably. It also provides an effective tool for carrying out future bids and forecasting future costs. One of the biggest problems of project management is getting accurate information you need in real time. Invest Sign software gives you the information you need, when you need it, and presents it how you want it, so you can concentrate on managing your projects. Get up-to-date information throughout your Invest Sign, with direct integration of receivables, payables, inventory control, revenues and other accounting functions. Describe expenses whose direct costs are recorded elsewhere, such as equipment usage or copying services, so you know how much projects cost in relation to their revenue.

Set up complex estimates Set up complex estimates by specifying the quantity (e.g., hours), unit cost, and billing rate (for time-and-materials projects) for each staff member, material, subcontractor, equipment, miscellaneous item, and overhead expense allocated to the project. Assign cost categories and automatically calculate cost, revenue estimates per cost category, or simply define the cost and revenue estimates for each product or services category.

Financial analytics

Using Invest Sign you can perform detailed financial and economic analysis, and export financial tables and other summarized data to your reports to support your decision. Invest Sign is structured to give opportunity to execute these types of analysis:

      Financial Ratio analysis.

      Economic analysis of alternatives.

      Financial accounts and other summarized data tables analysis.

      Optimization of working capital and alternatives execution of financial funds.

Analyse financial ratios systematically

Financial ratio analysis Essentially, financial ratios are compiled by taking numbers from a business's financial statements and converting them into meaningful relationships and indicators of the financial performance of the business. These ratios are expressed as either as a times multiple (x) or a percentage (%). Calculating financial ratios and then comparing them against each other or comparable industry averages for the same time period will provide an insight into the business's financial condition and operational performance. In Invest Sign, financial ratios are categorized into four sections:

Liquidity ratios - while liquidity ratios are most helpful for short-term creditors/suppliers and bankers, they are also important to financial managers who must meet obligations to suppliers of credit and various government agencies. A complete liquidity ratio analysis can help uncover weaknesses in the financial position of your business.

Activity ratios - also known as efficiency or turnover ratios usually consist of the sales figure in the numerator and the balance of an asset in the denominator. These ratios measure management's effectiveness at using its assets.

Gearing ratios - shows capabilities of enterprise to cover the liabilities and have opportunity to work efficient in a long time period.

Profitability ratios - measure the company's ability to generate a return on its resources. Use the following four ratios to help your client answer the question, "Is my company as profitable as it should be?" An increase in the ratios is viewed as a positive trend.

For more information about financial ratios on Invest Sign refer to public article Financial analysis with Invest Sign.

Economic analysis of alternatives Economic analysis of investment and regulatory decisions seeks to provide answers to two economic questions: (1) is a particular objective worth achieving, and (2) which of several alternative methods of achieving an objective is best? When working with project you may have to decide what equipment to by from suppliers, what products to produce or expand, or services to extend. With Invest Sign you can easy check various alternatives, view results as evaluation methods (NPV, IRR, PB and others), financial ratios, and choose the best one which the most increases the project (or enterprise) value.

Financial accounts and other summarized data tables analysis Summary totals are available at each level of the project and hierarchy structure with full ‘drill down’ from any level through centres groupings, centres, costs, jobs, stages and activities. Analysis of progress, time and costs and actuals against budget is available at all times in the layout you need. Comprehensive timesheet, expenses and disbursement facilities are included providing complete Project Planning. Invest Sign gives opportunity to analyse all three general financial accounts: Profit and Loss, Cash flow, Balance sheets. There is additional sheet sometimes needed for different cash flow analysis of the project - Cash flow sheet (2). These sheets are supported with different summary data tables with makes financial accounts analysis more complex and blanket. All financial accounts and needed other summarized data tables you can export to your reports to support decision and fully represent results.

Optimization of working capital and alternatives execution of funds With Invest Sign you can easily estimate and optimize the need of working capital both for base variant of your project and for alternatives. You can choose various types of financial funds for project, for example: have only your sources or obtain some equipment with leasing and take some commercial loans, and choose the best one which the most increases project value.

Risk analysis and Management

Risk Analysis, in a broad sense, is any method — qualitative and/or quantitative — for assessing the impacts of risk on decisions. Methods of Risk Analysis are used that blend both qualitative and quantitative techniques. The goal of any of these methods is to help the decision-maker choose a course of action, given a better understanding of the possible outcomes that could occur. You might wonder if what you do would be suitable for Risk Analysis. You use project data, solve problems, make forecasts, develop strategies and make decisions, so you definitely should consider performing Risk Analysis.

Four Invest Sign techniques are presented to illustrate common modeling situations under uncertainty. To help you understand the modeling techniques employed, example Invest Sign simulations are provided with your Invest Sign program. The simulations are even "pre-run" so you can just look at the results if you like. As you work through each modeling technique discussed, look at the corresponding table. It will help you understand the Invest Sign concepts and techniques involved in modeling each risky situation.

The four evaluating techniques can be used with Invest Sign are:

      Project Valuation methods – it's basic methods as NPV, IRR, MIRR, PI, PB, DPB, ARR that are used.

      Sensitivity Analysis - see the impact of uncertain project key variables, which are under your control, on project results.

      Scenario and Stress Analysis - make scenarios and compare the results of them to review all possible situations.

      Monte Carlo Sampling - traditional technique for using random or pseudo-random numbers to sample from a probability distribution.

Project Valuation methods in investment appraisal are one of the main parts which is very important accepting or rejecting a project. These methods are frequently used in the project appraisal. So a good understanding of the ways, in which investments are appraised, is important.

In Invest Sign, there are all four major methods of evaluating investment proposals:

      Net present value (NPV) method.

      Internal rate of return (IRR) method.

      Payback period (PB) method.

      Profitability index (PI).

Additionally three methods are supported for advanced analysis:

      Modified Internal Rate of Return (MIRR).

      Discounted Payback period (DPB).

      Accounting rate of return (ARR).

For more information about project valuation methods used on Invest Sign refer to public article Project Valuation methods.

Have full advantages of using Risk analysis techniques

Sensitivity Analysis Invest Sign lets you see the impact of uncertain project key variables on your results. But what if some of the uncertain project parameters are under your control? In this case the value a variable can be set by you. For example, you might need to choose between some possible prices you could charge or different possible raw materials you could use. To properly analyse your model, you need to run a simulation at each possible value for the "user-controlled" variables and compare the results. A Sensitivity Simulation in Invest Sign allows you to quickly and easily do this - offering a powerful analysis technique for selecting between available alternatives. The results can be easily exported to your reports or you can review them in data tables and panels.

For more information about using Sensitivity analysis with Invest Sign refer to public article Sensitivity analysis using Invest Sign.

Scenario and Stress Analysis A scenario analysis is a special case of an analysis where a pre-determined set of possible outcomes are identified. The pre-determined case scenarios are usually labeled according to their expected value from best to worst. These scenarios using Invest Sign you can easy identify with your personal experience, industry statistics, or historical performance of similar projects in a company. Each scenario you can save and compare the results of them to review all possible situations. By specifying extreme ranges of key factors, you can see how different extreme situations would affect your project results.

Monte Carlo Sampling is a general technique to aid in decision making in complex situations. Business decisions must be made in an environment that is filled with uncertainty about many factors simultaneously. Because of this fact many managers distrust recommendations based on computer models that assume that all inputs are known with certainty. In general, Monte Carlo analysis with Invest Sign encompasses five steps:

1. Identify Uncertain Variables
Determine which key variables in your project are uncertain and choose them in Monte Carlo analysis panel.

2. Define probability distributions
Represent those variables with Invest Sign probability distributions selecting them with clever fitted combos and estimate ranges of values.

3. See the possibility for correlation conditions
You have to look for the correlations among any of the selected risk variables. If correlations exists you have to diminish these correlations and (or) limit their expected dependency characteristics?

4. Run simulation
Run your simulation to determine the range and probabilities of all possible outcomes for the variables you've identified. The simulation run in Invest Sign is very simple. We push button "Calculate" and simulation runs. When Invest Sign performs calculations then in the bottom of the window reference come: “! Monte Carlo analysis: calculations are made.”

5. Analyse results and make a decision
Results, graphs, common statistics and generated values and for each variable (variables and NPV) you can look by pushing button “Results” of selected variable or project results. Invest Sign allows to make analysis in two ways:

     Data and statistics analysis for each variable (needed to ensure that selected model and distributions are correct);

     Data and statistics analysis of project results (the purpose is to calculate coefficients and support decisions).

Invest Sign helps with these steps giving a powerful and flexible tool. The results that Invest Sign generates can then be used by the manager to help choose a course of action. For more information about using Monte Carlo analysis with Invest Sign refer to public article Monte Carlo Simulation using Invest Sign.

Make a Decision

Using Invest Sign’s comprehensive results and your own personal thresholds for risk, you are now ready to make a well - informed decision. By accounting for all possible outcomes, Invest Sign gives you the tools to make the best possible decision in any situation!

Advanced Features Make Invest Sign a True Powerful tool

Invest Sign comes with a number of advanced features that make it the only choice for top decision-makers. Below listed some of them:

New exciting look and more easy use
Invest Sign v3.78 goes with new balanced and beautiful interface. The program is designed for ease and speed of data entry. High resolution and exciting look graphics allows to work with program a long time without got tired, New design and easy use lets to support even simple decisions and perform analysis without difficulties.

Enhanced Financial Reports Speed Up Results Preparation
Invest Sign give you one-step, financial reports that summarise all of your financial and critical risk analysis results. You can generate a one-page report for your results more easy.

After analysis you can export or review financial reports to Word or Excell documents and put them in your reports. Added Russian and Lithuanian languages. You can freely change language to needed one.

Advanced program calculation and graphical engine
Execution time is of critical importance because calculations are extremely calculation intensive. Invest Sign is designed even for the fastest possible simulations through the use of advanced sampling techniques and calculations.

Speed up program performance if you are using Invest Sign with slow speed computer machine. Invest Sign lets you take full advantage of the program if you are using slow speed or portable computer, which is without direct current. Using innovative smart calculation engine you can work as always.

Multiple Simulations
Invest Sign features in Monte Carlo and Sensitivity analysis allows multiple simulations to be run back-to-back. This lets you change only select inputs in your project from simulation to simulation, so you can compare the effect of a variable or variables on your outcome. For example, you may with to see what impact charging different prices has on your profits.

Advanced Sensitivity Analysis
Invest Sign's v3.78 Advanced Sensitivity Analysis allows you to determine the effects of key factors inputs on an output you select. Inputs can now analysed with percent change on NPV more detailed. Advanced Sensitivity Analysis lets you specify any key variable to vary, and lets you see the change on results. Available Summary Report.

Statistics and Graphics in Monte Carlo analysis
Invest Sign v3.78 adds a set of statistics functions returns a desired statistic on simulation results. You can watch the statistics update real-time as the simulation runs, as well! The statistics described by these functions are:

      Mean                  Mode          Kurtosis       Qtr3         Minimum        Count
      Standart Error     Standart     Skewness     IQR         Maximum       Confidence level (95 %)
      Median               Variance     Qtr1             Range      Sum

Invest Sign also includes a powerful graph placement that places any graph of simulation results directly in your selected place. Histograms, cumulative curves, and analysis reports lead to a powerful presentation of results.

Invest Sign v3.78 Features

Budgeting and Planning	Easy to describe detailed Sales and other income (Operational costs module)	Multiple Simulations in Sensitivity and Monte Carlo analysis
Setting up complex estimates	Ability to describe and optimize Financial means (Financial analysis module)	Full Data Risk analysis Reports
Project Costing and Returns	Ability to calculate and optimize Working capital (Financial analysis module)	Histogram, Diagram Graphs in Monte Carlo analysis
Fully Integrated Multilingual support: English, Russian, Lithuanian	Ability to analyse Financial accounts and other summarized data tables	Selection of Distributions in Monte Carlo analysis
Flexible to adjust to various type projects or enterprise requirements	Financial ratio analysis	Multiple selection of key variables in Monte Carlo analysis
Possibility to describe projects without "0" year	Economic analysis of alternatives	Full Statistics Reports in Monte Carlo analysis
Easy to adjust to country tax policy (VAT, national insurance contribution, profit tax, real estate tax and insurance, and other)	Optimization of working capital and alternatives execution of financial means	Real-time Updating of Graphs in Monte Carlo analysis
Ability to describe detailed Investment costs (Investment costs module)	Project valuation methods (NPV, IRR, MIRR, PI, PB, DPB, ARR)	Quick Reports in Monte Carlo analysis
Secondary Cardinal Investment costs and Prior-manufacturing costs modules	Full Data Financial Reports	Scenario Analysis
Ability to describe detailed Production costs (Operational costs module)	Sensitivity Analysis	Expanded Project library

Become an Invest Sign Wizard!

Invest Sign comes with a wide variety of resources to help you get started and overcome problems. A comprehensive help manual walks you through the features of Invest Sign and demonstrates how to set up and run a project, step-by-step. The manual is written in straightforward, and even provides background information on Projects, Risk and Financial Analysis.

Invest Sign features a comprehensive, context-sensitive Help file to zero in your question. You can search on a particular topic, or simply ask a plain, for example, English question using the "How Do I..." feature! Finally, example project files are provided that can be used as templates for understanding topics you are interested in.

If you would like further resources, InvestSign carries a number of articles on how to get the most from Invest Sign, Help Central, KnowledgeBase and Main Support was created for home users and users without Maintenance Plans. If you're having trouble installing or using Invest Sign software, want more intelligence, in this site you will get these support options for free:

KnowledgeBase with latest Frequently Asket Questions, Common Errors tips.

Maintenance Updates (upgrades) of your Invest Sign version.

Public Training Materials using Invest Sign in Publications section.

White papers and other relevant information in Academic Community Support, Financial Analysts Support and Project Managers Support sections.

Free technical and introductional Webinars in Webinars section.

We also offer Software Training Seminars on Invest Sign. These seminars provide hands-on training on how to use Invest Sign, and teach valuable project-building and analysis techniques. Call or visit our web site at www.investsign-home.com for more details and the latest schedule. In addition, InvestSign offers on-site training services, customizable to meet your organisation's needs.

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Software recommendations

Processor: Pentium III-class PC (500 MHz or higher recommended).

RAM: 128 MB of RAM (256 MB preferred).

Hard Disk: 100 MB disk space required (including projects).

Display: Designed for XGA resolution at 1024 x 768 or higher.

Operating System: Windows 98, Windows Me, Windows NT 4.0 with Service Pack 6 installed, Windows 2000, Windows XP, or Windows Server 2003.

Privileges: Administrative privileges on the system.

Technical support: Available through maintenance plan.

Free technical support: Available through Support main page.

Training: Available through InvestSign's Software Training Courses.