12 Supply Chain Forecasting Lessons from "The Signal and The Noise"

Description

The best-selling book The Signal and the Noise: Why So Many Predictions Fail -- But Some Don’t by Nate Silver offers fresh, thought-provoking insights into the challenges of forecasting.

It’s about big data, and it’s about how to filter the signal (the truth) from the noise (nonsense, static, garbage, etc.).

Although the book is not specifically about supply chain forecasting (Mr. Silver includes a wealth of engaging stories and examples from the worlds of politics, baseball, poker, weather forecasting and more) we can draw a number of innovative and practical lessons that are extendable and very applicable to the world of supply chain forecasting.  These ideas will apply to any business that relies in any way on realistic projections of future sales, supply plans and inventory turnover.

Our webinar will feature 12 Supply Chain Forecasting Lessons, which include:

• #2. There's one thing humans do better than computers
• #5. Your forecasts should tell the story of your business, not the story of your data.
• #6. A good model can be useful even when it fails
• #8. Collective wisdom trumps individual brilliance
• #10. Share your uncertainty

At minimum, the supply chain forecasting lessons inspired by The Signal and The Noise will dramatically affect how you think about forecasting.  More importantly, by applying these lessons, you have the potential to significantly improve the forecasting process for your business, and improve its impact on your supply plans, capacity utilization, and inventory turns.

We hope you will join this IndustryWeek-hosted webinar featuring Bill Whiteside of Demand Solutions.  Bill will share how any business that relies on forecasts can enhance its forecasting process by applying even just a handful of the 12 Lessons.

Don’t miss this opportunity to share in what promises to be an thought-proving and entertaining discussion of some of a very innovative approach to forecasting.

Complimentary Gift

As our way of saying thank you to our audience, 50 randomly-selected individuals will receive a $10 Amazon.com gift certificate.  Click here for full sweepstakes rules.

Speakers

Bill Whiteside
Principal
Demand Solutions Northeast

Bill Whiteside was introduced to Demand Solutions in the late 80’s when he implemented the software while serving as director of marketing for an ice cream manufacturer in Lancaster, PA.  In December 1989 he made the ultimate product endorsement by founding Demand Solutions Northeast to market and support Demand Solutions software in the Northeast U.S. Prior to working with Demand Solutions, Bill’s professional experience included 14 years of consumer goods marketing.

In his sales, marketing, and support roles with Demand Solutions, Bill has worked with more than 400 companies across a diverse group of industries.

Bill is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame, a member of APICS the IBF and the International Churchill Society

Dave Blanchard
Senior Editor
IndustryWeek

Contributing Editor Dave Blanchard provides the IndustryWeek audience his expertise in lean supply chain, reporting on topics from logistics, procurement and inventory management to warehousing and distribution. He also specializes in business finance news and analysis, writing on such topics as corporate finance and tax, cost management, governance, risk and compliance, and budgeting and reporting.

Dave is also the chief editor of Penton Media’s Business Finance and editorial director of Material Handling & Logistics.

With over 25 years of experience, Dave literally wrote the book on supply chain management, Supply Chain Management Best Practices (John Wiley & Sons, 2010), and is a frequent speaker at industry events. Dave is an award-winning journalist and has been twice named one of the nation’s top columnists by the American Society of Business Publications Editors.

Dave received his B.A. in English from Northern Illinois University, and was a high school teacher prior to his joining the publishing industry. He is married and has two daughters.

Technical details

This webinar will be conducted using a slides-and-audio format.  After you complete your registration, you will receive a confirmation email with details for joining the webinar. 

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