7 - Module 6 - Forecasting - Part 1
7 - Module 6 - Forecasting - Part 1
Unit II.
• Forecasting
Scope of • Capacity Planning
Operations • Facility Layout
Management
• Scheduling
FORECASTING
TOPIC 1
FORECAST
A statement about the
future value of a variable of
interest.
FEATURES COMMON TO ALL FORECASTS
Forecasting techniques generally assume that the same underlying causal system that
existed in the past will continue to exist in the future.
Forecast for groups of items tend to be more accurate than forecasts for individual items
because forecasting errors among items in a group usually have a canceling effect.
Forecast accuracy decreases as the time covered by the forecast – the time horizon –
increases.
ELEMENTS OF A GOOD FORECAST
SIMPLE TO COST-
UNDERSTAND EFFECTIVE
AND USE
STEPS IN THE FORECASTING PROCESS
Determine
• Determine the purpose of the forecast.
Establish
• Establish a time horizon.
Obtain, clean,
and analyze
• Obtain, clean, and analyze appropriate data.
Select
• Select a forecasting techniques.
Make
• Make the forecast.
Monitor
• Monitor the forecast errors.
FORECAST ACCURACY
𝐴𝑐𝑡𝑢𝑎𝑙1 −𝐹𝑜𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑎𝑠𝑡1 2
• 𝑀𝑆𝐸 =
𝑛 −1
|𝐴𝑐𝑡𝑢𝑎𝑙𝐴𝑐𝑡𝑢𝑎𝑙
1
−𝐹𝑜𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑎𝑠𝑡 |1𝑥 100
• 𝑀𝐴𝐷 = 1
𝑛
EXAMPLE 1: COMPUTING MAD, MSE, and MAPE
• Compute MAD, MSE, and MAPE for the following data, showing actual
and forecasted numbers of accounts serviced.
Period Actual Forecast (A-F) Error |Error| Error2 [|Error| Actual] x 100
1 217 215 2 2 4 0.92%
2 213 216 -3 3 9 1.41
3 216 215 1 1 1 0.46
4 210 214 -4 4 16 1.90
5 213 211 2 2 4 0.94
6 219 214 5 5 25 2.28
7 216 217 -1 1 1 0.46
8 212 216 -4 4 16 1.89
-2 22 76 10.26%
• Compute for MAD, MSE, and MAPE
APPROACHES TO FORECASTING
Qualitative Quantitative
QUALITATIVE METHODS
Executive Opinions
Salesforce Opinions
Consumer Surveys
Other Approaches
• Delphi method – an iterative process in which managers and staff
complete a series of questionnaires, each developed from the previous
one, to achieve a consensus forecast.
FORECASTS BASED ON TIME-SERIES DATA
• Time series – a time-oriented sequence of observations taken at
regular intervals.
1. Trend – a long-term upward or downward movement in data.
2. Seasonality – short-term regular variations related to the calendar
or time of day.
3. Cycle – wavelike variations lasting more than one year.
4. Irregular variation – caused by unusual circumstances, not
reflective of typical behavior.
5. Random variations – residual variations after all other behaviors
are accounted for.
NAÏVE METHODS
A forecast for Period Actual
Change from
Forecast
any period 1 50
Previous Value
that equals 2
3
53
+3 53 + 3 =
the previous 56
period’s
actual value.
TECHNIQUES FOR AVERAGING
Period Demand
1 42
2 40
3 43
4 40 The 3 most recent demands
5 41
SOLUTION
Period Demand
1 42
2 40
3 43
4 40 The 3 most recent demands
5 41
43+40+41
• 𝐹6 = = 41.33
3
• If actual demand in period 6 turns out to be 38, the moving average
forecast for period 7 would be
43+40+38
• 𝐹7 = = 39.37
3
EXAMPLE 3: COMPUTING A WEIGHTED MOVING
AVERAGE
• Given the following data,
a. Compute a weighted average forecast using a weight of .40 for the
most recent period. .30 for the next most recent, .20 for the next, and
.10 for the next.
b. If the actual demand for period 6 is 39, forecast demand for period 7
using the same weights as in part a.
Period Demand
1 42
2 40
3 43
4 40
5 41
SOLUTION
Period Demand
1 42
2 40
3 43
4 40
5 41