Chapter 2.3 Flashcards
Forecasting
Decision-making tool used by businesses to help in budgeting, planning and estimating future growth
Delphi method
A structured forecasting technique using a panel of experts and a number of rounds of questioning. Responses are shared after each round and the experts encouraged to reconsider their own responses. It is intended to achieve a consensus view
Mean average deviation (MAD)
A calculation to determine how accurate the forecasting process is
What 6 basic questions did lysons and farrington say forecasting should involve?
- What is the purpose of the forecast?
- What is the time horizon
- What techniques are most appropriate
- On what data must the forecast be based and how shall it be analysed
5.In what form should the completed forecast be presented - How accurate is the forecast
Name two types of forecasting techniques
- Subjective (qualitative)
- Objective (quantitative)
Name a method to determine how accurate the forecasting processes being used are?
Mean average deviation
Name 4 things you can do to get qualitative information for subjective forecasting
- Expert opinion
- Market research
- Surveys
- Structured questionning
Name 4 of the most common subjective techniques
- Market surveys
- Employee surveys
- Expert knowledge
- Test marketing
Name 3 examples of experts who could provide their opinion
- Executives, especially sales and technical
- External consultants
- Professionally qualified engineers, lawyers, medical personnel and other technical experts
What does the delphi method involve?
It tries to refine expert opinion by having several rounds of questionnaires being put to a panel of experts. After each round the responses are aggregated and then shared anonymously with the whole panel who are invited to reconsider their own response in the light of others
What is the theory behind the delphi method?
The range of responses will decrease through this process and converge on a consensus. A subjective prediction based on collective rather than individual knowledge and experience
What can the delphi method be used to predict?
- Sales levels which lead to production rates and stock-need levels
- Likely technical developments which could inform judgements about future redundancy or obsolescent stock already held or likely to be acquired in the short to medium term
Time series
A series of data points indexed (or listed or graphed) in time order
Averaging techniques
These include the simple mean, mode and median averages
What techniques does objective forecasting use?
Quantitative techniques
What are quantitative techniques based on?
Hard data - facts and figures
What are quantitative techniques based on?
A set of observations measured at successive equally spaced points in time which produces a time series data set
What 5 elements are used to allow what happened in the past to predict the future
- Averaging techniques - the average, mean or median point of the observations
- Trends - increase or decrease in the average over time
- Short-term cyclical movements
- Long-term cycles
- Random errors
What are the two main statistical techniques used in inventory forecasting
- Moving average
- Weighted average
Exponentially weighted average method (EWAM)
A statistical methodology which can be used to give more importance to the most recent data
Bullwhip effect
Distorted demand increasing up the supply chain - also known as the Forrestor effect
What is the theory behind the exponentially weighted average method?
More recent data is likely to be a better predictor of future behaviour than older data, on the basis that future conditions are more likely to be similar to current conditions than to those which existed ten or 5 years ago
Are objective forecasts more accurate than subjective ones?
Yes
Name 5 examples of things that can distort demand
- Unplanned sales promotions
- Sales team executive
- Over-ordering by customer - due to historical poor delivery performance
- Cancelling of these over-orders
- Changes in bulk freight volumes, masking the true demand