Content
All planning decisions must be based on the most accurate possible anticipation of customer demand and the derivation of realizable subsections in order to achieve high sales, high delivery service, low capital commitment and optimal capacity utilization. The task of sales planning is to analyze the sales markets, forecast and plan future sales volumes and condense these into sales plans, which serve as the starting point for subsequent planning processes. Sales forecasting uses qualitative and quantitative forecasting methods. While qualitative forecasting methods are generally based on subjective assessments by experts, quantitative forecasting methods use mathematical, statistical or machine learning methods to predict subsections. The decisive factor for the evaluation of sales forecasts are forecast quality measures that make the deviation between forecast and realized subsections measurable. Challenges in sales planning lie in its organizational anchoring and in building up the expertise to leverage the often-promised advantages of the complex processes of artificial intelligence.