Changing Demand Plan—Exercises

Basic Data Setup

Defining Schedule

Purpose: The purpose of this exercise is to show you how to set up a schedule for the different steps in the forecast cycle.

Windows:
Demand Plan Server Setup/Scheduling
Forecast Server

1. Set up a schedule for your server ID.
2. Start the Demand Planning Server.

General exercise for Defining Schedule

Main Exercises

Purpose: The purpose of this lesson is to show you how to adjust the forecast and gain basic knowledge about the features of the graphical user interface.

Windows:
Forecast Client

Change Demand Plan—Forecast Graph

1. Click the Start button on the Windows taskbar, point to Programs, and then click Forecast Client to open to the Demand Plan Client. Log on to the client using appowner as both the user ID and the password.
2. In the Flow ID list, select one of your flows.
3. Click a single part in the Part No list, or group parts by clicking Part menu, click Group and group as you see fit. 
4. In the upper right corner of the forecast graph, click Legend On/Off to open the legend. The legend contains the following features:
   • Confidence Interval On/Off: Displays the confidence intervals for the historic data.
   • Tool Tip On/Off: Displays values when the cursor is placed or dragged over periodic data elements.
   • Adj. Forecast: Used as new forecast by MS/MRP; manipulation allowed.  
   • Sys. Forecast: Server calculated and model dependent; adjustments not allowed.
   • Events: Used for special events/campaigns; adjustments allowed.
   • Adj. Demand: Equal to demand; can be adjusted by the user but not in the graph.
   • Demand: Reflects actual sales; adjustments not allowed.
   • Inh. Demand: Reflects whether there is an inheritance of transactions between parts; adjustments not allowed.
   • Hist. Forecast: The history of the adjusted forecast; adjustments not allowed.
   • Budget: Displays budget, if entered.
   • Target SP: Displays the target sales plan, if entered.
   • Expl. Forecast: Displays what it the forecast would have looked like if the present model had always been followed.
   • Confidence Interval On/Off (C): Makes the confidence interval either appear or disappear.
5. Drag or place your cursor over any periodic data element in the Demand Planning graph, and the value for that period is displayed. If not, click Tool Tip On/Off, and perform the same task again to view values. 
6. Click the Adj. Forecast point in the legend. Note that the curve still appears. Click the same object again, and the curve reappears. This feature applies to all curves.
7. To change the adjustable forecast, place the pointer on any adjustable forecast data element in the graph. Hold down the mouse button, and move the element up or down to the desired level. 
8. To increase or decrease all adjustable forecast elements at the same time, place the pointer on any adjustable forecast element, press Ctrl, hold down the mouse, and move the adjustable forecast curve to the desired level.
9. To increase or decrease adjustable forecast elements dynamically, place the pointer on any adjustable forecast element, press Shift, hold down the mouse button, and drag along all adjustable forecast data elements.
10. To freely draw the adjustable forecast elements, press Shift+Ctrl, hold down the mouse button, and drag along all adjustable forecast data elements.
11. Repeat steps 7–10 for Events.       

Change Demand Plan—Forecast Table

1. Click the Start button on the Windows taskbar, point to Programs, and then click Forecast Client to open to the Demand Plan Client. Log on to the client using appowner as both the user ID and the password.
2. In the Flow ID list, select one of your flows.
3. Click a single part in the Part No list, or group parts by clicking Part menu, click Group and group as you see fit.
4. On the Window menu, click Forecast Table.
5. Edit a few forecast rows in the Adj. Forecast field.
6. Enter some events in the Event field.
7. Enter a budget in the Budget field, and enter a target sales plan in the Target Sales Plan field.
8. Adjustments of non-representative demands that should not be a part of future forecast calculations is done in the Adj. Demand field. Non-representative demands can be traced because they are marked with red (outlier ). Trace an outlier and adjust the demand to more representative figures.
9. On the Window menu, click Forecast Graph, and view your changes

Change Demand Plan—Aggregation Table

1. Click the Start button on the Windows taskbar, point to Programs, and then click Forecast Client to open to the Demand Plan Client. Log on to the client using appowner as both the user ID and the password.
2. In the Flow ID list, select one of your flows.
3. Click a single part in the Part No list, or group parts by clicking Part menu, click Group and group as you see fit.
4. On the Window menu, click Aggregate Table.
5. Set the periods/group field to 3. This states that each new period in the aggregate table is equal to the sum of 3 of the original periods.
6. Set the groups/total field to be 4. This states that each column in the aggregate table consists of 4 aggregate table periods. The bottom row sum of the aggregate table will be equal to the sum of these 4 'new' periods, which is equal to the sum of 4*3=12 of the original period version periods.
7. Examine the results and confirm that the new period and total sums are correct. (The historical demand and adjusted forecast is used to form the aggregate table)