Course Description for Demand Planning

This course covers the administration of demand forecasts. It explains how to set up basic demand planning data, and how to create, change, and maintain forecasts.

Course Length

The estimated time to complete this course is 6 hours.

Target Audience

This course was designed primarily for demand planning administrators and demand planners.

Demand Planning Data

This chapter includes the following lessons:

• Entering General Server Data
• Defining Flows
• Entering Period Version
• Defining Schedule

By the end of the Entering General Server Data lesson, you should know how to:

• Create a server ID.

By the end of the Defining Flows lesson, you should know:

• How to define base flows and combined flows.
• The difference between master flow and non-master flow.

By the end of the Entering Period Version lesson, you should know how to:

• Create and use a period version.

By the end of the Defining Schedule lesson, you should know how to:

• Schedule the processes in the forecast cycle.

Prerequisite

Before taking the lessons in this chapter, you should have completed the Define Distribution Basics chapters. In addition, you should have a basic knowledge of how to work and navigate in IFS Applications. 

Chapter Length

The estimated time to complete this chapter is 2 hours

Target Audience

This course was designed primarily for demand planning administrators and demand planners.

Demand Planning Client

This chapter includes the following lessons:

• Changing Demand Plan
• Forecasting Models
• Grouping Parts
• Selecting Flow, Part, Unit, and Sort By
• Smoothing Parameters
• Measuring Errors

By the end of the Changing Demand Plan lesson, you should now how to:

• Adjust forecasts, enter events, and read the other curves in the forecast graph.
• Use the forecast graph functionality.

By the end of the Forecasting Models lesson, you should have:

• Basic knowledge of the different models available in demand planning and when they are appropriate.

By the end of the Grouping Parts lesson, you should know how to:

• Use group objects to forecast on different dimensions.

By the end of the Selecting Flow, Part, Unit, and Sort By lesson, you should know how to:

• Use the different sort objects to sort parts in the desired order.

By the end of the Smoothing Parameters lesson, you should know:

• How to use alpha, beta, and rho parameters.
• How these parameters affect the forecast.

By the end of the Measuring Errors lesson, you should know about:

• The error measurement methods used in demand planning.

Prerequisite

Before taking the lessons in this chapter, you should have completed the Demand Planning Data and Define Distribution Basics chapters. Also, you should have a basic knowledge of how to work and navigate in IFS Applications. 

Chapter Length

The estimated time to complete this chapter is 2,5 hours.

Target Audience

This course was designed primarily for demand planning administrators and demand planners.

Demand Planning Server

This chapter includes the following lessons:

• Aggregating Demand
• Creating a Forecast
• Generating Seasonal Profiles
• Locking the Server
• Qualifying Parts

Note: The new Demand Plan Server now also includes another feature called IPR calculating engine. IPR stands for Invnetory Planning and Replenishment, this mean that you can install a demand plan server as a pure IPR calculating engine, only as a Demand Plan Server or both. Look in the File-Setup menu on the Demand Plan Server GUI for details on what your Demand Plan Server is defined as (see example below). This session only deals with the Demand Planning Part of the Demand Plan Server. There will be a separate IPR Training for the IPR part. Note that you need to define a Demand Plan Server set up and have a Demand Plan Server running even if you only need to use the IPR calculating engine feature.

By the end of the aggregating demand lesson, you should know:

• How to aggregate demand from the server.
• Different ways to aggregate demand.

By the end of the Creating a Forecast lesson, you should know how to:

• Create a forecast from the server.

By the end of the Generating Seasonal Profiles lesson, you should know how to:

• Generate season profiles automatically by using the server.
• Create season profiles manually.

By the end of the Locking Server lesson, you should know how to:

• Lock the server.

By the end of the Qualifying Parts lesson, you should know how to:

• Perform the qualification process from the server.

By the end of the Writing Back a Forecast Lesson, you should know how to:

• Perform the process from the server.

Prerequisites

Before taking the lessons in this chapter, you should have completed the Demand Planning Data, Demand Planning Client, and Define Distribution Basics chapters. Also, you should have a basic knowledge of how to work and navigate in IFS Applications. 

Chapter Length

The estimated time to complete this chapter is 40 min

Target Audience

This course was designed primarily for demand planning administrators and demand planners.

Maintaining Forecast Parts

This chapter includes the following lessons:

• Maintaining Forecast Parts

By the end of the Maintaining Forecast Parts lesson, you should know how to:

• Maintain forecast parts, and where to do this.
• Edit base flow parts.

Prerequisites

Before taking the lessons in this chapter, you should have completed the Demand Planning Data, Demand Planning Client, Demand Planning Server, and Define Distribution Basics chapters. Also, you should have a basic knowledge of how to work and navigate in IFS Applications. 

Chapter Length

The estimated time to complete this chapter is 30 min.

Target Audience

This course was designed primarily for demand planning administrators and demand planners.