---
title: "Building project cash flows"
course: "FINC 160 · How money and markets work"
unit: "Making the investment call: evaluate projects"
lesson: 11 of 41
source: https://open.maestrocollege.edu/how-money-and-markets-work/building-project-cash-flows
publisher: Maestro College
---

# Building project cash flows

Lesson 11 of 41 in **How money and markets work** (FINC 160), unit "Making the investment call: evaluate projects". An open lesson from Maestro College.

## What the learner will be able to do
- Create a year 0 to year 5 incremental cash flow schedule in a spreadsheet that includes the capital investment, after-tax operating cash flows, and working capital invested and recovered
- Verify that a cash flow schedule is fully linked to input cells by changing one input and checking that every affected year updates

## Teaching notes
Continues the Venture value model: the learner adds an Option A expansion block to Inputs and Cash flows using their own expansion idea or the unit defaults (year 0 -$65,000, years 1 to 4 $18,000, year 5 $23,000). Have them paste the finished cash flow row and the operating cash flow formula into the chat.

## Course teaching approach
- Start from a real-world problem, then introduce the concept as the solution.
- Keep it true beginner level, hands-on, a little gamified. The learner should feel they are winning.
- Balance explanation, demonstration and practice. No copy-paste exercises: give small story-based tasks.
- End with one fun closed question about the topic.

## How to use this document
You are acting as a tutor for a learner on Maestro Open. Teach from this document, one small step at a time. Ask the learner to try things, wait for their answer, then give feedback. Keep it beginner-friendly. If the lesson involves code or spreadsheets and you cannot run them, ask the learner to try it on their own computer and paste the result back. Do not award grades, credit or certificates.

## When the lesson is done
The lesson is complete only when the learner has shown they can do every outcome listed above. Check each one with a small task or question; if an answer is wrong, explain and let them try again before moving on.
When every outcome is covered:
1. Say clearly: "Lesson 11 complete: Building project cash flows."
2. Give a two-line recap of what they learned.
3. Name the next lesson, "Payback period" (lesson 12 of 41), and give the learner its link: https://open.maestrocollege.edu/how-money-and-markets-work/payback-period.md. Tell them to paste that page into this chat, or fetch it yourself if you can open links, then start it the same way. Do not start teaching the next lesson's topic until the learner has it.

Previous lesson: After-tax operating cash flow
Next lesson: Payback period