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Hi, I am a demand planner in a global manufacturing company. Management is not happy with the
forecast that I generate. Poor forecast accuracy generates misallocated sales and marketing
resources, inventory build up, and poor service levels. Thus, causing us to miss financial
plans. You see, a lot of the stress associated with our planning process gets targeted at
me, and no body has any idea what I do every week to come up with those numbers. At the
beginning of the week I make phone calls to ten different Sales teams to collect new sales
activity and promotion information. Some give me spreadsheets that they have created, each
formatted differently. Some give me information verbally. And some don't even bother returning
my calls. "No new messages" Then, I have to get updates to new product launches and costs.
I go to product management shared folder to download this information for all products.
Again, more spreadsheets, all different formats and not really easy to tell what has changed
from last month. Then the fun part - inputing all the data into our demand planning system.
It makes a statistical forecast based on past data but the numbers just don't add up. How
could they when it doesn't take into account any sales actions we are going to take in
the future? So, instead of using this unwiedly system, I pull all the information into MY
custom spreadsheet. Then, I create a Power Point summary for my boss as to what changed
from last cycle so he can review and approve it. Upon approval, I then scramble to load
my spreadsheet back into that piece of BEEP planning system so our supply change folks
can download the forecasts, and drive their supply chain planning activities. And here
is the final kicker - I find out that our supply chain planners are ignoring the forecasts
I provide because they don't see all the assumptions that I made. They create their own forecast,
as they don't want to be stuck with the inventory for which they will get yelled at. With all
these forecast numbers floating around, management doesn't even know who is to blame. I wish
there was a better way. Something that really empowers all of us with the ability to create
better forecasts, better plans, and makes work a bit more fun! Management power. Visit
us at o9solutions.com