Supply and Demand Planning Training Course

Participants can prepare demand data and select an appropriate forecasting level.

• Demand history cleansing for returns, promotions, stockouts and one-off orders
• Select forecasting hierarchies by product, customer, channel and location
• Time buckets aligned with lead times, replenishment cycles and decisions
• Distinguish shipments, orders, consumption and point-of-sale demand signals
• Outlier treatment using documented causes rather than automatic deletion
• Create a demand data audit trail with assumptions and source ownership

Participants can create baseline forecasts and assess their accuracy using standard measures.

• Moving averages matched to stable demand and appropriate history windows
• Exponential smoothing parameters selected from demand responsiveness requirements
• Seasonal indices calculated from repeated patterns and calendar-normalised demand
• Trend projections separated from temporary promotion and event effects
• MAPE, bias and MAD interpreted with product-level demand characteristics
• Forecast value added identifies where judgement improves statistical baselines

Participants can incorporate commercial intelligence into a controlled consensus forecast.

• Sales inputs structured around opportunities, risks, promotions and customer changes
• Consensus forecasting separates evidence-based adjustments from unsupported optimism
• Document forecast assumptions, confidence ranges, owners and review dates
• Promotional uplift estimated from comparable events and incremental demand evidence
• New-product forecasting uses analogue products, adoption curves and launch milestones
• Conduct demand review meetings using exceptions, decisions and action logs

Participants can set inventory parameters that balance service, variability and working capital.

• Cycle stock, safety stock and pipeline inventory distinguished by purpose
• Service measures: fill rate, cycle service level and order frequency
• Safety stock calculated from demand variability and replenishment lead time
• Reorder points combine expected lead-time demand with safety stock
• Order quantities assessed against holding costs, ordering costs and constraints
• Inventory turns and days of supply interpreted with planning context

Participants can assign differentiated replenishment policies to product and demand segments.

• ABC analysis ranks items by annual consumption value and management attention
• XYZ analysis classifies demand variability using coefficient of variation
• ABC-XYZ matrix assigns review frequency, safety stock and planner intervention
• Make-to-stock, make-to-order and assemble-to-order policies compared systematically
• Set minimum, maximum and target stock parameters by segment
• Slow-moving and obsolete inventory controls linked to lifecycle status

Participants can develop a time-phased supply plan from demand, stock and supply data.

• Projected available balance calculated from opening stock, demand and receipts
• Netting logic identifies shortages after confirmed supply and inventory allocation
• Time-phased supply plans distinguish firm orders, planned orders and forecasts
• Frozen, slushy and liquid planning zones govern change permissions
• Apply lot-sizing rules: fixed quantity, period order quantity and minimum order
• Exception messages prioritised by shortage date, value and customer impact

Participants can translate an approved production plan into component requirements using MRP logic.

• Master production schedules convert finished-goods demand into build requirements
• Bills of material explode dependent demand through multilevel product structures
• MRP offsets planned orders by cumulative manufacturing and procurement lead times
• Gross-to-net calculations account for inventory, scheduled receipts and allocations
• Pegging traces component shortages to affected parent orders and customers
• Planning parameters maintained through governance over lead times and yields

Participants can test whether a supply plan is feasible against available capacity.

• Rough-cut capacity planning tests master schedules against critical resources
• Capacity requirements planning converts planned orders into work-centre loads
• Load profiles reveal overloads by resource, period and product family
• Bottleneck analysis focuses planning action on constrained production resources
• Level loading, overtime and subcontracting compared through cost-service trade-offs
• Finite-capacity constraints documented as decisions, risks and recovery actions

Participants can align supplier commitments, purchase plans and material risks with demand requirements.

• Supplier lead-time variability incorporated into replenishment and safety-stock assumptions
• Purchase order coverage compared with net requirements and supplier allocations
• Supplier capacity commitments tested against planned releases and demand changes
• Blanket orders, scheduling agreements and call-offs matched to purchasing strategy
• Expedite decisions assessed against service impact, premium freight and alternatives
• Supplier risk registers capture single-source, quality and geopolitical exposure

Participants can plan inventory replenishment across distribution locations and transport lead times.

• DRP links warehouse demand, central stock and replenishment transit times
• Deployment rules allocate scarce inventory by service priority and customer commitments
• Multi-echelon inventory distinguishes plant, distribution centre and field-stock roles
• Transportation calendars incorporated into replenishment dates and order cut-offs
• Intercompany transfers planned using ownership, availability and receiving constraints
• Network imbalance exceptions identify surplus locations beside shortage locations

Participants can structure S&OP reviews that reconcile demand, supply, inventory and financial outcomes.

• S&OP process connects demand review, supply review and executive decisions
• Product-family planning balances volume, capacity, inventory and margin targets
• Pre-S&OP packs frame decisions requiring cross-functional executive trade-offs
• Executive S&OP decisions assign owners, deadlines and planning assumptions
• Volume plans translated into revenue, margin, inventory and cash implications
• Decision logs maintain accountability from monthly agreement through execution

Participants can compare supply-demand scenarios and quantify their operational and financial consequences.

• What-if scenarios test demand shifts, supplier disruption and capacity loss
• Scenario assumptions documented with probability, trigger points and response owners
• Service-cost trade-offs compare backlog, overtime, inventory and lost-sales exposure
• Working-capital impacts calculated from inventory changes and payment timing
• Margin-at-risk analysis connects constrained supply with customer and product priorities
• Recommend contingency actions using quantified benefits, costs and implementation lead times

Participants can define planning measures and governance routines that drive corrective action.

• Forecast accuracy dashboards separate bias, error magnitude and data availability
• Service performance tracked through OTIF, fill rate and backlog ageing
• Inventory health measures highlight excess, obsolete and at-risk stock
• Plan adherence compares actual execution against approved supply commitments
• Master data governance assigns ownership for parameters, records and changes
• Root-cause analysis converts recurring exceptions into corrective planning actions

Participants can prepare planning responses for material disruptions and demand shocks.

• Risk heat maps prioritise disruptions by likelihood, impact and detectability
• Supply continuity options include dual sourcing, buffers and specification alternatives
• Demand allocation rules protect contractual, critical and strategic customer requirements
• Control-tower routines coordinate information, decisions and escalation during disruptions
• Recovery plans sequence backlog clearance, capacity restoration and inventory rebuilding
• Post-incident reviews update planning parameters, supplier strategies and contingency triggers

Participants can build, review and present a complete integrated supply and demand planning pack.

• Build a baseline forecast from historical demand and commercial assumptions
• Set segmented inventory policies using ABC-XYZ classification and service targets
• Create a constrained supply plan covering materials, capacity and distribution
• Quantify exceptions, risks and financial implications using scenario comparisons
• Prepare demand review, supply review and executive S&OP decision materials
• Present recommendations, actions, owners and review triggers to stakeholder panels