A demand forecast estimates future requirements over a defined period. It supports replenishment and capacity decisions, but it should not be confused with a sales target the company hopes to reach.
Choose a forecasting level that matches the decision, such as product family, location or week. Review history for stockouts, promotions and unusual orders that distort apparent demand. Compare a proposed method with a simple baseline before adding complexity.
Measure forecast error and bias over time, using the same horizon and units. Investigate changes in customer behavior rather than adjusting every result by intuition. Connect the forecast to decisions about stock, production and service priorities.
Open Sources Used
This page uses open and institutional references as a frame; the final decision still belongs to the company record, threshold and owner.
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Reading adjacent decision areas keeps the topic from becoming an isolated note.