bake that in

Bake That In

To include or account for something in a plan, model, estimate, or budget. 'Let's bake in a 10% buffer' means build the buffer into the plan itself, not rely on it being available separately.

When you'd see it: Financial modeling, project planning, and budgeting discussions. Signals that an assumption or contingency is being embedded in the number itself: 'I've baked the legal review timeline into the launch date' means the plan already includes that buffer — it's not on top of the estimate.

Why it matters: Plans that don't bake in realistic assumptions (delays, cost overruns, scope creep) set up for avoidable misses. 'Baking it in' is a signal of realistic planning rather than optimistic forecasting. It's also used as a shorthand for 'this is now the baseline, not a contingency.'

Common mistakes: Baking in assumptions without stating what you baked in. 'I baked in some buffer' is not actionable — 'I baked in 3 weeks for legal review based on the last two deals' is. Unstated assumptions in models become invisible liabilities.

Related directionally correct, runway, burning platform