Having a good forecast is essential to demand planning. It ensures the right goods are produced at the right time and reach the right customers. What’s more is that demand planning is situated at the start of your supply chain, playing an integral part in a streamlined supply chain.
One of the many ways to improve the forecast is to forecast using a pyramid process, starting at the base, then forecasts the subsequent levels moving upwards. The objective of using the pyramid forecast process is to use the less detailed portions of the pyramid to improve the base level forecast of the pyramid.
A successful demand planning process accurately forecasts demand and revenue streams, and subsequently drives the next steps in the S&OP process which are Inventory, Supply Planning, and Optimization. Therefore, it is a crucial step in an organization's S&OP process.