Start with the decision
Define which result is a planning estimate and which activity has actually occurred. Quotes, bookings and intended distances can support a scenario. Confirmed quantities and movements support an actual record with their own measurement basis.
Build the record
Store input value, unit, state, source, date and responsible contributor. Record whether transport was estimated, booked, dispatched or confirmed received. Retain actual replacements, repairs and returns separately from expected service-life assumptions. Keep the model version used for the initial choice.
Check before acting
Reconcile actual records after the campaign, explaining discrepancies rather than forcing them to match the plan. Update future scenarios with better information while preserving earlier decisions. Achieved-use or recovery statements need the relevant confirmation. A modelled saving remains a conditional comparison unless an appropriate actual assessment substantiates the claim.
Worked example — illustrative
A fictional campaign plans to deploy twelve panels but installs ten and returns nine. The ledger preserves planned quantity, confirmed use and received quantity as distinct states. The team investigates the missing return. It does not describe all planned panels as reused or use the booking to support a complete outcome claim.
Keep a useful handover
Close the “Separate an estimate from measured project activity” decision with a named owner and a dated evidence version. The next working record is “Build a lifecycle record”. Record whether that step is planned or confirmed; retain the prior decision if new information changes the instruction.
- Record state with each value.
- Keep plans and actuals separate.
- Confirm deployment and receipt.
- Explain discrepancies.
- Preserve the original scenario.
