Costs

The Costs tab follows the same structure as Benefits. Each cost object represents a distinct expenditure associated with the initiative, with its own definition, timing, value, and optional advanced settings.

Required role
Super Admin, Admin, and Contributor can create, edit, and delete costs. Viewer can view costs but cannot make changes.

Click "+ Add cost"

Choose Add new cost to create from scratch, or Add from template to use a pre-configured cost saved at the product, portfolio, or org level.

Fill in the cost fields

Work through the Attributes, Timing, Value, and Advanced sections described below.

Save the cost

The Live Financial Summary panel updates in real time to reflect the new cost.

Attributes

Field	Notes
Cost name	A descriptive name for this expenditure (e.g., “Software Licences - Year 1”).
Description	Optional free-text context explaining the nature or source of this cost.
Cost type	Classify the cost as CapEx (capital expenditure - investment in assets) or OpEx (operating expenditure - ongoing operational costs). These types are defined in your org’s Configurations and may include additional custom categories.

Timing

Field	Notes
Start month	The first month in which this cost is incurred.
Duration	One-time for a single occurrence. Recurring to specify an end date or number of months. Until the time horizon of the initiative for costs that run through the full initiative period.
Recognition	Determines the cash flow timing within each period. End (in arrears) treats the cost as an Ordinary Annuity - recognized on the last day of the period. This is the default for most business models. Start (in advance) treats it as an Annuity Due - recognized on the first day of the period. Note: a flow set to Start in month N applies month N−1’s discount period. Because ValueMap uses month-by-month precision, earlier recognition of a cost increases its discounted impact - meaning costs incurred sooner carry more weight in NPV calculations.

Value

Field	Notes
Estimated cost	The base cost amount per interval. Enter a simple numeric amount using Simple mode, or switch to Formula mode to define a calculated value. See the Formula Builder section for full reference.
Cost notes	Optional notes documenting assumptions or sources for the estimated cost.
Cost interval	The frequency at which the estimated value repeats - Monthly, Quarterly, or Annually. For one-time costs this field is not applicable.
Contingency interval	Sets the variance range used when applying scenarios. For example, a 10% contingency interval creates a 90%–110% range around your baseline cost - the Conservative scenario uses 110% of the cost (higher cost) and the Optimistic scenario uses 90% (lower cost). A higher contingency interval means a wider spread between scenarios.
Contingency notes	Optional notes explaining the basis for your chosen contingency interval.

Advanced

Ramp and growth are disabled for one-time costs. These fields only apply to recurring cost items.

Field	Notes
Ramp duration	The time it takes to reach the full projected benefit cost. For example, a 6-month ramp assumes costs scale up by ~16.7% each month until Month 6, at which point the full estimated cost is incurred. Set the ramp end using a specific date, a number of months, or until the end of the object’s duration. This can’t be set before the start month or after the end month of the object.
Ramp notes	Optional notes explaining the ramp assumption (e.g., phased hiring, gradual rollout).
Growth rate	A periodic compounding growth rate applied to the cost over time (e.g., 3% annually to model inflation or expanding headcount). If a ramp is also set, growth applies to the cost value as it increases during the ramp period.
Growth duration	The period over which the growth rate applies. Set using a specific end date, a number of months, or until the end of the object’s duration. This can’t be set before the start month or after the end month of the object.
Growth notes	Optional notes documenting the basis for the growth assumption.

Intro

Getting Started

Organization Settings

Managing Your Workspace

Financial Analysis

Workflows

Attributes

Timing

Value

Advanced

​Attributes

​Timing

​Value

​Advanced

Attributes

Timing

Value

Advanced