Certified Forecaster and Demand Planner (CFDP)

• Apply moving average, exponential smoothing and seasonal methods to historical demand
• Forecast intermittent demand and new products, and build simple causal regression models
• Calculate MAD, MAPE and bias, and use forecast value added analysis to improve the process
• Facilitate a consensus forecast and align demand plans with strategic and financial targets
• Describe the CPFR process, and use POS data and demand sensing to improve short-term forecasts
• Apply DMAIC to persistent forecast error and judge when machine learning adds value

Each module below shows what it covers and what you will be able to do at the end of it.

1. Supply Chain Management Essentials

Reviews core supply chain concepts, flows and processes that underpin demand planning.

• Describe supply chain flows, processes and key terminology
• Explain how planning decisions connect supply chain functions

2. Inventory Planning Fundamentals

Covers inventory types, costs and planning methods as they relate to forecast quality.

• Calculate basic inventory parameters such as safety stock
• Explain how forecast error drives inventory levels

3. Bullwhip Effect

Explains how demand variability is amplified upstream and the practices that reduce it.

• Identify the causes of the bullwhip effect
• Recommend measures to reduce demand distortion

4. Introduction to Sales and Operations Planning / Integrated Business Planning (S&OP / IBP)

Introduces S&OP and IBP as processes that turn the demand plan into an integrated business plan.

• Describe the stages of an S&OP / IBP cycle
• Explain the demand planner's role in the process

5. Consensus, Prioritisation and Integration with Strategic Planning

Covers reaching a consensus demand plan, prioritising constrained supply and aligning with strategic plans.

• Facilitate a consensus forecast across functions
• Align demand plans with strategic and financial targets

6. Collaborative Planning, Forecasting and Replenishment (CPFR)

Covers the CPFR model for joint planning and forecasting with trading partners.

• Describe the CPFR process and partner roles
• Identify conditions for successful CPFR collaboration

7. Forecasting Myths, Realities and Challenges

Examines common misconceptions about forecasting and the practical challenges planners face.

• Distinguish realistic forecasting expectations from common myths
• Identify sources of bias and error in forecasting

8. Forecasting Based on Historical Data

Covers time-series methods such as moving averages, exponential smoothing and trend models.

• Apply moving average and exponential smoothing methods
• Select a time-series method based on demand pattern

9. Seasonal Demand Forecasting

Covers identifying seasonality and building seasonal indices into forecasts.

• Calculate seasonal indices from historical data
• Produce seasonally adjusted forecasts

10. Intermittent Demand Forecasting

Covers forecasting sporadic, low-volume demand where standard methods perform poorly.

• Identify intermittent demand patterns
• Apply suitable methods such as Croston's approach

11. Causal and Qualitative Forecasting Models

Covers regression-based causal models and judgement-based qualitative forecasting methods.

• Build a simple regression model using demand drivers
• Apply structured qualitative methods such as expert panels

12. New Product Forecasting

Covers approaches for forecasting products with little or no sales history.

• Use analogous products and market inputs to forecast new items
• Plan forecast reviews during product launch

13. Forecast Performance

Covers metrics for measuring forecast accuracy and bias and using them to improve the process.

• Calculate MAD, MAPE and bias
• Use forecast value added analysis to improve the process

14. Demand Driven Supply Chain Framework

Introduces the demand driven supply chain model and how it differs from forecast-push planning.

• Explain the principles of a demand driven supply chain
• Contrast demand driven and forecast-driven planning

15. Demand Sensing

Covers using near-real-time demand signals to detect changes in demand earlier.

• Identify demand signals and data sources for sensing
• Explain how demand sensing improves short-term planning

16. Supply Chain Response

Covers how supply, inventory and capacity respond to sensed demand across the chain.

• Describe mechanisms for responding to demand changes
• Evaluate responsiveness against cost and service

17. Introduction to Demand Driven Material Requirements Planning (DDMRP)

Introduces DDMRP concepts, including strategic buffers and decoupled lead times.

• Explain the main components of DDMRP
• Describe how DDMRP reduces reliance on forecasts for replenishment

18. Improving Forecasting with POS Data and Demand Sensing

Covers using point-of-sale data and demand sensing to improve short-term forecasts.

• Incorporate POS data into the forecasting process
• Assess the accuracy gain from demand sensing

19. Principles of Data Analysis

Covers data preparation, descriptive statistics and analysis techniques used in demand planning.

• Clean and prepare demand data for analysis
• Apply descriptive statistics to identify patterns and outliers

20. Improving Forecasting with Machine Learning

Introduces how machine learning models can be applied to demand forecasting.

• Explain when machine learning adds value over statistical methods
• Describe the steps to develop and validate a machine learning forecast

21. Improving Forecasting with Six Sigma

Covers applying Six Sigma and DMAIC to reduce error and variation in the forecasting process.

• Apply DMAIC to a forecasting process problem
• Identify root causes of persistent forecast error

• Classroom: Interactive sessions at our training and exam centre in Nasr City, Cairo, Egypt.
• Live online: Instructor-led virtual classes for participants anywhere in the region.
• In-house: A private cohort for your team, at your premises and tailored to your context.
• Every live session recorded: Watch any session again, or catch up on one you missed, on our learning platform.
• Official study material: Books, handbooks and course files for the programme, in one place.
• Question banks and module tests: Exam-style practice with instant results.
• Support until exam day: Keep studying on the platform after the live sessions end, right up to the exam.

ISCEA

• Forecasters and demand planners
• Planning process coordinators
• Organisations balancing supply and demand
• Professionals seeking career progression