Forecasting is a fully developed business process that most organizations still struggle with today. Almost everyone’s top priority is probably to be able to consistently and accurately forecast Sales, Demand, Costs, Inventory, etc. The inability to obtain a good forecast frequently has a significant business impact. Inaccurate forecasting leads to overstocking or running out, resulting in high costs and excess, impacting the bottom line and the success of the company.
A good forecast should give you enough confidence to make sound business decisions. For a more efficient forecast, consider these best practices:
- What are the most common forecasting methods, and why do they produce inaccurate results.
- How to achieve better ROI and optimal processes through scale, granularity, and agility
- How to improve forecasting accuracy
- How to use simple machine learning and artificial intelligence tools to get accurate and scalable forecasts
Top Five Tips for New Demand Planners and Forecasters
Good forecasting can make a big difference to your company’s performance, whether you are forecasting to support sales, marketing, production, inventory, or finance. This blog is aimed primarily at those fortunate individuals who are about to start this adventure. Welcome to the field!
A Primer on Probabilistic Forecasting
If you keep up with the news about supply chain analytics, you are more frequently encountering the phrase “probabilistic forecasting.” Probabilistic forecasts have the ability to simulate future values that aren’t anchored to the past. If this phrase is puzzling, read on.
Improve Forecast Accuracy by Managing Error
In this video, Dr. Thomas Willemain, co-Founder and SVP Research, talks about improving Forecast Accuracy by Managing Error. This video is the first in our series on effective methods to Improve Forecast Accuracy. We begin by looking at how forecast error causes pain and the consequential cost related to it. Then we will explain the three most common mistakes to avoid that can help us increase revenue and prevent excess inventory.
Probabilistic vs. Deterministic Order Planning
Consider the problem of replenishing inventory. To be specific, suppose the inventory item in question is a spare part. Both you and your supplier will want some sense of how much you will be ordering and when. And your ERP system may be insisting that you let it in on the secret too.
Four Useful Ways to Measure Forecast Error
In this video, Dr. Thomas Willemain, co-Founder and SVP Research, talks about improving Forecast Accuracy by measuring Forecast Error. We begin by overviewing the various types of Error Metrics: Scale-dependent error, Percentage error, Relative error, and Scale-free error Metrics. While some error is inevitable, there are ways to reduce it, and forecast metrics are necessary aids for monitoring and improving forecast accuracy. Then we will explain the special problem of intermittent demand and divide-by-zero problems. Tom concludes by explaining how to assess forecasts of multiple items and how it often makes sense to use weighted averages, weighting items differently by volume or revenue.
Automatic Forecasting for Time Series Demand Projections
In this video tutorial Dr. Thomas Willemain, co–Founder and SVP Research at Smart Software, presents Automatic Forecasting for Time Series Demand Projections, a specialized algorithmic tournament to determine an appropriate time series model and estimate the parameters to compute the best forecasts methods.
Recent Posts
Supply Chain Math: Don’t Bring a Knife to a GunfightMath and the supply chain go hand and hand. As supply chains grow, increasing complexity will drive companies to look for ways to manage large-scale decision-making. Math is a fact of life for anyone in inventory management and demand forecasting who is hoping to remain competitive in the modern world. Read our article to learn more. […]
Planning for Consumable vs. Repairable PartsWhen deciding on the right stocking parameters for spare and replacement parts, it is important to distinguish between consumable and repairable parts. These differences are often overlooked by inventory planning software and can result in incorrect estimates of what to stock. Different approaches are required when planning for consumables vs. repairables. […]
Four Common Mistakes when Planning Replenishment TargetsHow often do you recalibrate your stocking policies? Why? Learn how to avoid key mistakes when planning replenishment targets by automating the process, recalibrating parts, using targeting forecasting methods, and reviewing exceptions. […]
Extend Epicor Kinetic’s Forecasting & Min/Max Planning with Smart IP&OEpicor Kinetic can manage replenishment by suggesting what to order and when via reorder point-based inventory policies. The problem is that the ERP system requires that the user either manually specify these reorder points, or use a rudimentary “rule of thumb” approach based on daily averages. In this article, we will review the inventory ordering functionality in Epicor Kinetic, explain its limitations, and summarize how to reduce inventory, and minimize stockouts by providing the robust predictive functionality that is missing in Epicor. […]
Scenario-based Forecasting vs. EquationsTraditionally, software has served as a delivery vehicle for equations. This is fine, as far as it goes. But we at Smart Software think you would do better by trading in your equations for scenarios. Learn why Scenario-based planning helps planners better manage risk and create better outcomes. […]
Inventory Optimization for Manufacturers, Distributors, and MRO
Blanket OrdersOur customers are great teachers who have always helped us bridge the gap between textbook theory and practical application. A prime example happened over twenty years ago, when we were introduced to the phenomenon of intermittent demand, which is common among spare parts but rare among the finished goods managed by our original customers working in sales and marketing. This revelation soon led to our preeminent position as vendors of software for managing inventories of spare parts. Our latest bit of schooling concerns “blanket orders.” […]
Probabilistic Forecasting for Intermittent DemandThe New Forecasting Technology derives from Probabilistic Forecasting, a statistical method that accurately forecasts both average product demand per period and customer service level inventory requirements. […]
Engineering to Order at Kratos Space – Making Parts Availability a Strategic AdvantageThe Kratos Space group within National Security technology innovator Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc., produces COTS s software and component products for space communications - Making Parts Availability a Strategic Advantage […]
Managing the Inventory of Promoted ItemsIn a previous post, I discussed one of the thornier problems demand planners sometimes face: working with product demand data characterized by what statisticians call skewness—a situation that can necessitate costly inventory investments. This sort of problematic data is found in several different scenarios. In at least one, the combination of intermittent demand and very effective sales promotions, the problem lends itself to an effective solution. […]
Problem
Generating accurate statistical forecasts isn’t an easy task. Planners need to keep historical data continually up to date, build and manage a database of forecasting models, know which forecast methods to use, keep track of forecast overrides, and report on forecast accuracy. These steps are typically managed in a cumbersome spreadsheet that is often error-prone, slow, and difficult to share with the rest of the business. Forecasts tend to rely on one-sized fits all methods that require seasonality and trend to be added manually resulting in inaccurate predictions of what comes next
Solution
SmartForecasts ® Cloud
Accurate Demand Forecasts
Best Forecasting Methods
Imports Historical Data
What can you do with SmartForecasts?
- Run a forecasting tournament that selects the right forecasting method for each item.
- Hand-craft forecasts using several time-series forecasting methods and non-statistical methods.
- Automatically predict trends, seasonality, and cyclical patterns.
- Imports demand data from files
- Leverage ERP connectors to automatically import demand data and return forecast results
Who is SmartForecasts for?
• Demand Planners.
• Forecast Analysts.
• Material & Inventory Planners.
• Operational Research Professionals.
• Sales Analysts.
• Statistcally Minded Executives.
A Reliable and Secure Platform
