{"id":1217,"date":"2015-08-14T20:34:03","date_gmt":"2015-08-14T20:34:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dhp.co.uk\/?p=1217"},"modified":"2019-04-01T15:35:41","modified_gmt":"2019-04-01T15:35:41","slug":"forecasting-the-key-to-achieving-your-operational-objectives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dhp.co.uk\/forecasting-the-key-to-achieving-your-operational-objectives\/","title":{"rendered":"Forecasting: the key to achieving your operational objectives"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\t

Forecasting is essential to achieving your operational objectives. Its purpose is to help to predict what the future looks like and derisk that future and with ACTION make it happen so there are no or limited issues. Forecasting enables a business to move continually forward and improve. It makes it easier for managers to cope with, plan and achieve their objectives which in turn enables the business meet its wider commercial objectives.<\/p>\n

Effective Forecasting<\/h2>\n

Most operations do actually talk about having forecasting but they don\u2019t understand or have not been trained to take a structured approach that enables their entire management hierarchy to work together as an effective unit.<\/strong>\u00a0Without forecasting and the rigour and routine that goes with it, quality, productivity and performance at all levels is drastically affected and commercial progress can stagnate.<\/p>\n

Many operations have limited management information about workload and productivity often gathered from multiple sources. With limited information forecasting is based on a mixture of short term and historical information inputted into a spreadsheet and left for the computer to work things out. Subsequently forecasting becomes more a box ticking exercise but does not generate action defeating its very purpose!<\/p>\n

More companies are realising they need to improve their forecasting capability and are looking for solutions to achieve higher performance and customer service levels. There is a small number of advanced workforce management software packages that provide excellent forecasting solutions and are becoming increasingly popular to support forecasting activity.<\/p>\n

However software alone is not the answer.<\/strong>\u00a0For forecasting to be truly effective, you first need to ensure you have operational clarity and complete visibility. You need to be confident that you are measuring your people, tasks and process in the right way and with the right metrics. Your managers need to be trained in the routines and processes combined with software tools to enable them to forecast effectively.<\/p>\n

From this position, forecasting is meaningful and accurately represents your resourcing requirements. When you have achieved clarity on these crucial points, you are in the ideal position to implement a software forecasting solution.<\/p>\n\t

The most reliable way to forecast the future is to try to understand the present<\/p>\n