> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.getvector.me/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Record actuals and forecast from them
> Enter what really happened month by month, compare it with the plan on the chart, and let the forecast pick up from reality.
**This area is still in development.** The product marks Modeling as **WIP**: screens, labels and behavior described here can change, and some steps may not work yet.
Assumptions describe what you expect; actuals describe what really happened. Record your actuals and Vector shows both side by side — and the forecast picks up from reality instead of drifting further from it every month you don't check in.
## Enter what happened
Open the project and scroll to **Fact vs plan**. It's a table with a column for your starting point, **0 · base**, and one for each of the first 18 months. Each metric has three rows: **plan** shows what the model expected, you type the real value into **fact**, and **dev.** shows how far fact is from plan, in percent.
Start with the **0 · base** column: your starting point as it is today. For workspaces, the base is the model's own starting number, so changing it changes the plan too; for other metrics it's for reference.
Monthly actuals are saved to the project straight away and kept apart from your assumptions — entering one never changes the plan.
Enter at least two or three months to see the forecast start building from your real numbers.
## Rules for actual values
* **One value per month and metric.** A new value for a month you've already recorded replaces the old one.
* **Zero is a real value.** Recording 0 says the metric really hit zero that month; leaving the cell empty says you don't know.
* **Gaps are fine.** Record month 1 and month 3 but skip month 2, and the forecast picks up from month 3. The skipped month shows as a gap on the chart, not as a zero.
* **The table covers the first 18 months** of the model's 36.
## Compare the plan with what happened
Once you've recorded at least one month of workspaces, two charts — **Workspaces added and churned** and **MRR breakdown** — show three layers:
| Layer | Style | What it shows |
| ------------------ | ----------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Plan | Dashed line | Where your assumptions said the metric would go |
| Fact | Dots | The values you recorded |
| Forecast from fact | Solid line | Where the metric is heading now, starting from your latest actual |
The forecast always starts exactly where your most recent actual left off. Until you record workspaces, the charts show the plan alone.
## Correct the plan
The gap between the dashed plan and the dots is how far off your assumptions were. When it grows, go back to the [assumptions](/modeling/assumptions-and-dashboard) behind that metric and adjust them, so the plan reflects what you're learning about your business.
Before you do, [freeze a snapshot](/modeling/snapshots-and-accuracy) of the current forecast, so you can later see how the old plan compared with reality.
## Where to go next
Getting a model in the first place.
Changing the plan you compare reality against.