Why Supply Chain Planning?

Any well-functioning supply chain is based on planning. In this course, you will master some of the
most essential forecasting methods commonly used in practice. Without proper planning any supply
chain will fail to match supply with demand.

An Introduction to Planning
In this introductory Supply Chain Planning course, I will take you on a journey to this fascinating
aspect of the supply chain, which is to predict, project, and estimate future demand. Please note that
the idea for this course is to introduce learners to the art and science of forecasting. While I am
planning to cover the most important pieces, this is not meant to be exhaustive nor should you
expect to be an expert upon completion. But my goal is to show the major pieces of planning in a fun
manner and hopefully this will encourage you to learn more.

What topics will you cover?

We cover the four major forecasting methods and three measures of forecast accuracy:

• Naive Forecast
• Cumulative Mean
• Moving Average
• Exponential Smoothing
• Mean Error
• Mean Absolute Percent Error
• Mean Squared Error

What will I be able to do upon completing this course?

• You will master different forecasting methods.

• You will be able to differentiate the advantages and disadvantages of different forecasting
methods by applying and weighing different accuracy measures.
• You will be able to make purchasing, manufacturing, and logistics decisions based on a
forecast you created.
Who is this course for?

This introductory course is designed for three general audiences. While this is not an exhaustive list,
you should be able to see yourself in one of these three groups:

1. Those of you who are exploring a career in Supply Chain Management, but lack the any
background. This course will provide you with a general overview of the field of Supply Chain
Planning.
2. Those of you who are working with people in Supply Chain Planing and want to understand
their daily challenges better.
3. Those of you who are fascinated by how to predict, project and estimate future demand.

What do I need to start?

This is an introductory course designed to provide you with a start on your learning journey in
operations. As such, you do not need to have any background in Supply Chain Planning, but it would
be beneficial if you had a basic understanding of:

• General business concepts

• Basics of spreadsheets
• Basics of statistics