1.

Demand planning is a Supply Chain Management process of forecasting the demand for
products so as to guarantee their timely delivery and customer satisfaction. The basis of
preparation of these forecasts is generally historical data and relevant business information,
however with the ongoing black swan event, industries are moving towards predictive and
prescriptive analytics in order to forecast demand.

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2. Demand Planning has various aspects, we will discuss the following 3: -

 Product Portfolio Management: A person in product portfolio management oversees the
complete product lifecycle, starting with the overview of a new product through to its end-
of-life planning.
 Statistical Forecasting: Someone in statistical forecasting works with historical data to create
supply chain forecasts using advanced statistical algorithms. In demand planning, it’s
indispensable to have data-backed estimates to avoid over or under stocking of goods.
 Trade Promotion Management: A Trade promotion employee can influence demand,
especially in the retail industry. The aim of trade promotion is to assist a brand connect with
customers, often through an in-store giveaway, discount, or promotion, as these
proceedings can influence the demand for a product.

3. Some problems seen during demand planning are cognitive bias, complication of the end to
end process and uncertainty in data due to lack of information or projections.

4. Today, there are multiple Demand Planning tools available in the market. They are both
manual and automated in nature. 3 popular tools used by demand planners are:
 Excel based Demand Planning
 ERP integrated Demand Planning module
 Demand Planning software solutions

5. Demand planning is undergoing a huge sweeping change with a focus on digital

transformation, thus someone having knowledge of AI and machine learning has an added
advantage.

Some job titles of demand planning are:

 Analytics Development as a Data Analyst or Data Scientist).

 Business Analysis as a Demand/Forecast Analyst and Demand Manager).

 Collaborative Planning as CPFR Analyst and S&OP/IBP Manager).

 Product and Market Management as Product Analyst and Launch Leader).