Custom Courses Marketing and Sales

Demand Planning Training

SAQA US AATICD-0195 | NQF 5 | Credits 10 | Duration 5 Days
From $1,242 per delegate

Description

This course equips learners with the skills to forecast demand accurately, align supply chain activities, and optimize inventory levels. Participants will learn to analyze historical data, apply statistical methods, and collaborate across functions to improve demand planning processes.

Learning Outcomes

  • Apply quantitative and qualitative forecasting techniques to predict future demand.
  • Analyze historical sales data and market trends to identify demand patterns.
  • Evaluate forecast accuracy using metrics such as MAPE and bias.
  • Design a demand planning process that integrates cross-functional inputs.
  • Implement strategies to mitigate demand volatility and manage exceptions.
  • Demonstrate the use of demand planning software and tools for scenario analysis.

Target Audience

Supply chain managers, demand planners, inventory analysts, and operations professionals seeking to enhance forecasting accuracy and drive business performance.

Prerequisites

None — open enrollment.

Course Outline

Day 1: Foundations of Demand Planning

Objectives:
• Understand the role and importance of demand planning in supply chain management
• Define key terminology and concepts in demand planning
• Identify the components of a demand planning process
• Recognise the impact of demand variability on business performance

Topics:
• Introduction to demand planning and its strategic importance
• Key concepts: demand, forecast, lead time, safety stock
• Overview of the demand planning process flow
• Types of demand: independent vs. dependent
• Factors influencing demand: seasonality, trends, promotions
• Introduction to forecasting methods: qualitative vs. quantitative
• Role of data in demand planning
• Common challenges in demand planning

Day 2: Data Collection and Analysis

Objectives:
• Gather and clean historical sales data for demand planning
• Apply basic statistical techniques to analyse demand patterns
• Identify outliers and anomalies in demand data
• Use spreadsheet tools to perform data analysis

Topics:
• Data sources for demand planning: sales history, orders, market data
• Data quality: accuracy, completeness, timeliness
• Descriptive statistics: mean, median, mode, standard deviation
• Time series analysis: trends, seasonality, cycles
• Identifying and handling outliers
• Introduction to moving averages and exponential smoothing
• Using Excel for data analysis: pivot tables, charts, functions
• Practical exercise: cleaning and analysing a sample dataset

Day 3: Forecasting Techniques

Objectives:
• Differentiate between qualitative and quantitative forecasting methods
• Apply time series forecasting models (moving average, exponential smoothing)
• Implement causal forecasting using regression analysis
• Evaluate forecast accuracy using common metrics

Topics:
• Overview of forecasting methods: qualitative (Delphi, market research) vs. quantitative
• Time series models: naive, moving average, weighted moving average
• Exponential smoothing: simple, Holt’s, Holt-Winters
• Causal models: simple and multiple linear regression
• Forecast error metrics: MAD, MSE, MAPE, bias
• Selecting the appropriate forecasting technique
• Software tools for forecasting (Excel, basic stats packages)
• Practical exercise: building and comparing forecasts

Day 4: Demand Planning Integration and Collaboration

Objectives:
• Integrate demand planning with sales, marketing, and operations
• Apply Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP) principles
• Facilitate collaborative forecasting with internal and external stakeholders
• Manage demand variability through safety stock and inventory policies

Topics:
• Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP) process overview
• Cross-functional collaboration: sales, marketing, finance, supply chain
• Collaborative Planning, Forecasting, and Replenishment (CPFR)
• Demand sensing and shaping techniques
• Safety stock calculation and inventory optimisation
• Managing promotions and new product introductions
• Consensus forecasting and demand review meetings
• Practical exercise: conducting a demand review meeting simulation

Day 5: Advanced Topics and Practical Application

Objectives:
• Implement demand planning in a real-world business context
• Use demand planning software for forecasting and reporting
• Develop a demand plan for a given scenario
• Present and defend the demand plan to stakeholders

Topics:
• Overview of demand planning software (e.g., SAP APO, JDA, Oracle)
• Demand planning in different industries: retail, manufacturing, FMCG
• Scenario planning and what-if analysis
• Performance metrics and continuous improvement
• Case study: end-to-end demand planning cycle
• Final project: create and present a demand plan
• Course review and assessment

Practicals

16 hours of practicals To be conducted online or on-campus or in-house
Overview

Practical sessions are integrated throughout the course to reinforce theoretical concepts with hands-on exercises. Learners will work with real-world datasets, apply forecasting techniques in Excel, and participate in a simulated demand review meeting.

Practical Activities
  • Data Cleaning and Analysis — Learners clean and analyse a provided historical sales dataset using Excel, identifying trends, seasonality, and outliers. (4h)
  • Forecasting Model Application — Learners apply moving average, exponential smoothing, and regression models to forecast demand, then compare accuracy using error metrics. (4h)
  • Demand Review Meeting Simulation — Teams role-play as sales, marketing, and supply chain representatives to reach a consensus forecast and create a demand plan. (4h)
  • Final Demand Plan Presentation — Each team presents their demand plan for a case study, defending assumptions and forecasts to instructors and peers. (4h)

Summatives

Each delegate is assessed continuously throughout the course via daily exercises, scored practical assignments, and a final summative test at the end.

Practical Assignments — 30%

Practical assignments are observed and scored against a rubric during the practical sessions. Each delegate's practical mark is averaged into a single 100% score and contributes 30% to the final total.

Daily Exercises — 20%

Every training day ends with a multiple-choice exercise scored out of 100%. The scores from each daily exercise are averaged across the duration of the course to produce a Daily Average mark, which contributes 20% to the final total.

Final Test — 50%

On the last day a final summative test is written. It is a multiple-choice paper with multiple-answer questions: each question may have more than one correct option, and a single wrong selection on a question marks the entire question wrong — no partial credit. The final test is scored out of 100% and contributes 50% to the overall mark.

Final Total
Component Out of Weight
Practical Assignments (rubric-scored) 100% 30%
Daily Average (multiple choice) 100% 20%
Final Test (multi-answer multiple choice) 100% 50%
Final Total 100%

All marks are recorded on the AATICD LMS and visible to each learner under their account.

Certificate

Certificate of Completion

Awarded to delegates who achieve an overall mark of 50% or higher on the Final Total (Practicals 30% + Daily Average 20% + Final Test 50%).

How it works
  • Certificates are auto-generated on the AATICD LMS as soon as the marks pass the 50% threshold.
  • Each certificate is a branded PDF with the delegate's name, the course title, the unit standard ID, NQF level, credits, and the date of issue.
  • You can download or print your certificate from your LMS dashboard at any time after issue — there's no reissue fee and no expiry date.
  • If you scored under 50% you can sit the final test again at the next scheduled session at no extra cost.
Where to find it

Sign in to the LMS, open your dashboard, and your certificates appear under My Certificates. Each entry has a View / Download button and a print option.

Training Discounts

Group discounts apply automatically — the more delegates you enrol, the greater the saving. Discounts are calculated at 3% per 5 delegates, scaling up to 40% off for 100+ delegates.

Delegates Discount
5 3% off
10 6% off
15 9% off
20 12% off
25 15% off
30 18% off
50 30% off
75 35% off
100 40% off

3% discount per 5 delegates, up to 40% off for 100+ delegates. Contact us for a custom group quote.

Upcoming Training Sessions
Online training — attend live sessions from anywhere via our virtual classroom.
Start End Delivery Season Price Action
Mon 07 Sep 2026 Fri 11 Sep 2026 Virtual Spring 2026 $1,242 Register
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Mon 20 Dec 2027 Fri 24 Dec 2027 Virtual Summer 2027 $1,242 Register
Mon 03 Jan 2028 Fri 07 Jan 2028 Virtual Summer 2027 $1,242 Register
On-Campus training — face-to-face sessions at our training venues across Africa and beyond.
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Mon 13 Dec 2027 Fri 17 Dec 2027 Your Premises Summer 2027 $1,615 Register
Mon 27 Dec 2027 Fri 31 Dec 2027 Your Premises Summer 2027 $1,615 Register
Mon 10 Jan 2028 Fri 14 Jan 2028 Your Premises Summer 2027 $1,615 Register
Training Discounts
Delegates Discount
5 3% off
10 6% off
15 9% off
20 12% off
25 15% off
30 18% off
50 30% off
75 35% off
100 40% off

3% off per 5 delegates, up to 40% for 100+

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