Simple Model Review Checklist

Was wondering if anyone had any tips or a basic checklist of what they look for when reviewing or error-checking an acquisition/development model. We get plenty of models sent to us from GP’s but no two are the same and it can be super tedious to run through each model in depth to make sure everything’s working right.

Are there any basic calc’s you run to make sure returns, cash flow, debt service are working correctly?

Do you have the same process every time, if so, what does it consist of?

Just looking for someone to help a guy with a mild case of self-diagnosed ADHD stay on task when running through someone else’s model.

4 Comments
 

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I would generally just sum up the basics in my head and see how far out the results in the models are, then dig deeper into anything I've flagged. Also could input any of the high levels into a model you already know is solid, might not be tailored towards that investment but most calcs remain the same.

On the technical side you could run an IRR on debt/equity interest and capital repayments to make sure they stack up to whatever margins/coupons that are input.

Like you said, at the end of the day they are all different, the detail/layout of the modelling on first glance should give you as much perspective into if the person who put it together knows what they are doing or not.

 

Start with a high level logic check - do the numbers make sense based on the inputs, is everything growing logically year to year, do the numbers tie from page to page, etc. and flag any issues to dig into deeper. After you're comfortable the numbers are at least in the ballpark of where they should be based on the assumptions used, do you not typically underwrite anything compelling in your own model afterwards anyways? Seems crazy to rely on someone else's model.

 

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