RPO is signed future revenue a company hasn't recognized yet.
What it is
Remaining Performance Obligation is the dollar value of goods and services a company is contractually committed to deliver but has not yet recognized as revenue. It includes deferred revenue (amounts already billed) plus the unbilled portion of signed contracts (backlog). Unlike most SaaS metrics, RPO is a GAAP/IFRS disclosure required under the revenue-recognition standards, so it appears in the financial-statement notes.
Why it matters
RPO is one of the most reliable forward indicators of future revenue because it reflects binding contracts, not estimates. Growth in RPO, especially the portion due within 12 months (current RPO), signals demand that has not yet shown up in reported revenue. Because it is standardized, RPO is more comparable across companies than self-defined metrics like ARR.
How it's calculated
Sum the transaction price allocated to all unsatisfied (or partially satisfied) performance obligations across signed contracts; companies usually split it into current (within 12 months) and non-current portions.
How Quintarthai uses it
RPO is disclosed in a SaaS issuer's filing notes; you can research that filing alongside the revenue trend in the Financials tab of its company deep-analysis page.
Cross-border note. RPO is a required disclosure under both US GAAP (ASC 606) and IFRS 15, so it is one of the more comparable SaaS metrics across a US and a Canadian issuer; still match currency before comparing.
FAQ
How is RPO different from deferred revenue?
Deferred revenue is only the portion a company has already billed but not yet recognized. RPO is broader: it also includes the unbilled value of signed contracts, so RPO is usually larger than deferred revenue.
Why is RPO considered more reliable than ARR?
RPO is a standardized disclosure required under ASC 606 and IFRS 15 and reflects binding contracts. ARR is a self-defined, non-GAAP run-rate snapshot that each company can calculate differently.
Check your understanding
How does Remaining Performance Obligation (RPO) differ from deferred revenue?
RPO is the broader figure: it adds the unbilled backlog of signed contracts to billed-but-unrecognized deferred revenue, so it is typically larger.