Course Introduction

Become the demand planner who turns uncertainty into clear, confident decisions.

The Demand Planner Mastery Program (Self-paced) is built to help you do the real work of demand planning: building reliable forecasts, understanding drivers and seasonality, improving accuracy, collaborating with sales/marketing, and translating insights into plans the business can act on.

Inside, you’ll learn the workflows, terminology, and decision-making behind strong forecasting — and how to apply them immediately in interviews and on the job.

You’ll be able to:

• Build and maintain forecasts using a structured, repeatable process
• Identify demand drivers, trends, seasonality, and one-off events with confidence
• Improve forecast accuracy and reduce bias using practical best practices
• Run productive demand review conversations with clear assumptions and next steps
• Turn forecast insights into actions that support inventory, supply, and service goals

Course Curriculum

This curriculum is designed to build your demand planning skills step by step — from core forecasting fundamentals to demand drivers, bias reduction, collaboration workflows, and real-world exception handling. Move at your own pace, revisit any section anytime, and use the lessons to strengthen how you forecast, communicate, and make decisions in day-to-day demand planning.

Module 01 - Introduction to Demand Planning

• In this module, we define what demand planning is and why it matters for the entire supply chain. You’ll see how demand planning connects sales, marketing, finance and supply planning. This foundation helps you understand how better demand planning leads to fewer surprises, more stability and better decisions.

Module 02 - Understanding Demand: Types, Patterns & Drivers

• Here we dive into the different types of demand and how they behave over time. You’ll learn to recognise patterns such as seasonality, trends, promotions and one-off events, as well as the internal and external drivers behind them. This understanding is essential for building realistic and useful forecasts.

Module 03 - Fundamentals of Forecasting

• This module covers the core concepts behind demand forecasting. We look at basic quantitative methods, how to choose a forecasting approach and how to measure forecast quality. You’ll learn the language and logic of forecasting so you can discuss methods and results confidently with stakeholders.

Module 04 - Forecasting Tools, Systems & Data

• Demand planning lives in systems and data. In this module, we explore the tools commonly used for forecasting, from spreadsheets to specialised planning systems. You’ll learn which data you need, how to structure it, and how to work with system outputs while maintaining a critical, analytical mindset.

Module 05 - Collaboration, S&OP & Cross-Functional Alignment

• Demand planning is not done alone in front of a screen. Here we look at how demand planners collaborate with sales, marketing, finance and supply planning through S&OP and other forums. You’ll learn how to lead conversations about assumptions, challenge input constructively and drive towards one aligned demand plan.

Module 06 - Advanced Demand Planning Techniques & Scenario Planning

• This module introduces more advanced techniques to deal with uncertainty and complexity. We cover concepts such as segmentation, forecast hierarchies, and scenario planning for different demand situations. You’ll see how to build and compare scenarios to support better decision-making under uncertainty.

Module 07 - Performance Management, Continuous Improvement & Career Development

• In the final module, we focus on performance and growth. You’ll learn which KPIs are most relevant for demand planning, how to perform root-cause analysis and how to continuously improve your process. We’ll also discuss how to position yourself as a demand planning professional and develop your career in supply chain.