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Volume 33 Issue 2
Summer 2014
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FEATURED ARTICLES:
A New Approach to Effective Demand Planning
By Richard Loretto
Global companies are changing their operating models to meet increasingly complex demands on their businesses. Too often companies struggle with how to effectively adapt their demand planning operations as these models evolve. If not done right, it can lead to unclear and inaccurate forecasting, ultimately putting the long-term viability of the business at risk.
How Does Demand Planning Create Value for the Organization
By Mark Covas
Learn how various industries think about the value a Demand Planning group brings to their organizations. Whether you want to know how to determine if you have the right amount of Demand Planning resources or how you can present a business case for requesting more resources to grow your Demand Planning capabilities, this article will help you demonstrate to your organization the value you are creating.
The Revolution of Talent Management in Demand Planning
By John Gallucci
The Demand Planning field has advanced rapidly over the last decade, and the leading Planning organizations are being rewarded by hiring talent with a much different skill set. Talent Management is a highly debated topic at IBF Leadership Forums, and revolutionary insights are unfolding through these healthy discussions. Are early adopters about to gain a significant competitive advantage, or will Demand Planning continue to be a destination where focus on the basic fundamentals of forecasting will always be more relevant? In this article, I explore multiple sides of the debate, and provide my own outlook for this hot topic.
What About a Telescoping Planning Horizon?
By Larry Lapide
This column discusses various aspects of the Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP) planning horizon in terms of the length of time and the foci of decision making within it. A Telescoping Planning Horizon approach is introduced that extends the planning horizon based on all supply-demand lead times, as well as focuses on various decision-making and decision-support data used in the short-term versus the long-term segments within the horizon.
Innovations in Business Forecasting: Predictive Analytics
By Charles W. Chase, Jr.
There has been a lot of focus on demand signal repositories (DSR) over the past several years with little emphasis on leveraging that information using predictive analytics. The majority of the output has been focused on descriptive analytics, or reporting. If you want to be more proactive than simply basing replenishment on shipment data, you need access to downstream data, analysis, and insights to make decisions that put you ahead of the demand curve. It is about more than just forecasting trends and seasonality, using DSR information for demand sensing to identify and measure market signals, and then using those signals to shape future demand. DSR is a basic foundation but Demand Signal Analytics (DSA) is where real differentiation and value can be gained.
How to Build a Relationship between Sales and Logistics for an Effective Demand Planning
By Jason S. Marinoff
The article shows that the best way to bring Sales and Logistics together is to find common ground. The quick sell to Sales is product availability, and to Logistics, having the right inventory at the right time. Once they understand their mutual interests, their relationship will grow. Good communication is also important. Salespeople are on the front line, and know fairly well the customers’ promotional plans. If they communicate this information to Logistics in a timely manner, it would help to improve product availability.
Predictive Analytics Forecast Snail’s Pace Growth
By Evangelos Otto Simos, Ph.D.
Dr. Simos is Director of Forecasting and Predictive Analytics at e-forecasting.com, a division of Infometrica’s Data Center, and professor of economics at Paul College, University of New Hampshire. This report does not purport to be a complete description of global economic conditions and financial markets. Neither the Journal nor Infometrica, Inc. guarantee the accuracy of the projections, nor do they warrant in any way that the use of information or data appearing herein will enhance operational or investment performance of individuals or companies who use it. The views presented here are those of the author, and in no way represent the views, analysis, or models of Infometrica, Inc. and any organization that the author may be associated with.
The U.S. Economy—Slow, Albeit Improving
By Jamal Nahavandi, Ph.D.
Dr. Nahavandi is Associate Professor of economics at Pfeiffer University School of Graduate Studies, specializing in Business Economics, International Business, and Healthcare Economics. The information in this forecast is gathered by the Journal from sources it considers reliable. Neither the Journal nor the individual institutions providing the data guarantee accuracy; nor do any of them warrant in any way that use of the data appearing herein will enhance the business or investment performance of companies or individuals who use them.
Answers to Your Forecasting Questions
By Chaman L. Jain, St. John’s University
Click here to DOWNLOAD a preview of the latest Journal of Business Forecasting (JBF)
Click HERE to become an IBF member and get a JBF subscription FREE
The Journal of Business Forecasting (JBF) has been providing jargon-free articles on how to improve demand planning, forecasting, supply chain, and S&OP, step-by-step for over 30 years. A subscription to the JBF comes with IBF membership at no additional cost.