By: Andy Walker
Success in today’s consumer-driven business climate depends on meeting customer demand as efficiently and profitably as possible. Accurate demand planning is vital; not only does it provide the very foundation on which future plans can be made, it allows the business to anticipate changes in demand in plenty of time and respond accordingly.
Statistical forecasting is an essential element in maturing the organization’s demand process, but crucially it needs to be part of a wider integrated approach to demand management, led and managed by those closest to the consumer, and embedded cross-functionally into the organization. This means addressing people and processes first.