Plan
Learn how to monitor forecast accuracy, demand bias, and planning performance across your portfolio.
The Demand Review process focuses on evaluating and aligning the organization’s demand forecasts with the sales and operational plans.
It serves as a collaborative forum where cross-functional teams—such as Sales, Marketing, and Supply Chain—review forecast performance, assess demand trends, and identify key drivers affecting customer demand.
Through this review, teams can:
- Validate the accuracy and credibility of demand forecasts.
- Reconcile differences between statistical forecasts and business insights.
- Identify risks and opportunities impacting the demand plan.
- Ensure alignment between forecasted demand and the company’s strategic objectives.
The OWL Analytics Platform provides interactive dashboards that support this process, enabling data-driven decision-making through clear visualizations and key performance indicators.
The following sections detail the main dashboards available under the Demand Review module:
Demand Planning Metrics
The Demand Planning module helps evaluate the effectiveness of your forecasting process by providing key performance metrics that measure accuracy, bias, and forecast value.
These metrics can be analyzed across multiple dimensions such as segmentation type, product category, or individual product, giving you a detailed view of how your forecasts align with actual demand.
By monitoring these indicators, you can assess the impact of different forecasting methods, identify areas for improvement, and enhance the overall reliability of your demand planning process.
📊 Key Metrics Available in the OWL Platform
Below are the main metrics used to evaluate forecast performance and their definitions:
Metric | Definition |
Forecast Qty | The total quantity of products predicted to be sold in a given period. Represents the planned sales volume. |
Order Qty | The total quantity of products actually ordered or sold during the same period. |
Bias Qty | The difference between forecasted and actual quantities, showing whether forecasts overestimate or underestimate demand. |
Error Qty | The total absolute difference between forecasted and actual quantities, measuring how far forecasts deviate from reality. |
% Bias | The percentage bias, showing whether forecasts consistently over- or under-estimate demand. |
% Accuracy | The percentage accuracy, indicating how closely the forecast aligns with actual sales. |
% FVA (Forecast Value Add) | Evaluates the value added by your forecasting process compared to a baseline (e.g., moving average). Shows whether advanced forecasting methods improve accuracy. |
MTD % Bias | The forecast bias for the current month, identifying any consistent over- or under-estimation trends. |
MTD % Accuracy | The forecast accuracy for the current month, showing how well the forecast is performing during the current period. |
MTD % FVA | The Forecast Value Add for the current month, assessing how much value the forecasting process contributed in the period. |
💡Tip:
To view detailed formulas, data sources, and calculation methods for each metric, go to the 📁 Data Manager section within the OWL Analytics Platform.
Forecast & Pacing
The Forecast & Pacing dashboard provides a comprehensive view of your projected revenue and sales performance pacing over time.
It allows you to compare actual sales results against forecasted values, helping you determine whether your business is on track to meet its revenue objectives.
By monitoring these indicators, you can identify performance gaps, adjust sales strategies, and make data-driven decisions to stay aligned with your targets.
📊 Key Metrics Available in the OWL Platform
Below are the main metrics available in the Forecast & Pacing dashboard, along with their definitions:
Metric | Definition |
Gross Sales ($) | The total revenue generated from product or service sales, before deductions such as returns, discounts, or allowances. |
Open Orders ($) | The total value of customer orders that have been placed but not yet fulfilled or shipped. |
Forecast Rev ($) | The projected revenue based on sales forecasts. If the forecast period extends beyond the latest available sales data, the system will automatically calculate expected revenue for that future period. |
Projection ($) | An estimated performance value used in financial and operational planning to predict future outcomes based on current data and trends. |
% Pacing | A performance indicator that compares actual progress versus forecasted or planned performance, showing whether the business is on pace to meet its goals within the given timeframe. |
💡Tip:
To view detailed formulas, data sources, and calculation methods for each metric, go to the 📁 Data Manager section within the OWL Analytics Platform.