Recommended Reading: Cloud Software Helps Overcome Budget Constraints

The Smart Forecaster

Pursuing best practices in demand planning,

forecasting and inventory optimization

Smart Software recently announced a Software as a Service (SaaS) option for SmartForecasts—SFCloud™. Premises-based perpetual licenses will continue to be the preferred software implementation method for many organizations, but there are many reasons why demand for cloud-based solutions is taking off. A vintage post by Bill Richardson at ApplicantStack Team Blog summarizes key benefits of the SaaS model.

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      Forecasting With the Right Data

      The Smart Forecaster

      Pursuing best practices in demand planning,

      forecasting and inventory optimization

      In order to reap the efficiency benefits of forecasting, you need the most accurate forecasts—forecasts built on the most appropriate historical data. Most discussions of this issue tend to focus on the merits of using demand vs. shipment history—and I’ll comment on this later. But first, let’s talk about the use of net vs. gross data.

      Net vs. Gross History

      Many planners are inclined to use net sales data to create their forecasts. Systems that track sales capture transactions as they occur and aggregate results into weekly or monthly periodic totals. In some cases, sales records account for returned purchases as negative sales and compute a net total. These net figures, which often mask real sales patterns, are fed into the forecasting system. The historical data used actually presents a false sense of what the customer wanted, and when they wanted it. This will carry forward into the forecast, with less than optimal results.

      (more…)