Next up in the SAS Applying Business Analytics Webinar Series is Forecasting 101! This Webinar is appropriate for anyone involved in the creation, review or utilization of forecasts: demand planners and forecast analysts who generate forecasts; managers in sales, marketing, finance and operations; and executives who oversee the forecasting and planning functions.

Forecasting 101 will be hosted by Mike Gilliland, SAS product marketing manager, author of The Business Forecasting Deal Blog and a new book, "The Business Forecasting Deal: Exposing Myths, Eliminating Bad Practices, Providing Practical Solutions."

In this webinar, Mike will share how Forecast Value Added (FVA) analysis is being employed at major corporations to identify and eliminate waste in the forecasting process, streamline their forecasting efforts, reduce costs and achieve the best results possible given the nature of their demand patterns. I encourage you to make time to participate & attend this Webinar to learn how to:

• Assess the “forecastability” of your demand, establish accuracy expectations and set appropriate forecasting performance goals.
• Gather the data necessary for conducting Forecast Value Added (FVA) analysis.
• Interpret FVA results and communicate results to management.
• Identify and eliminate forecasting process waste – those activities that fail to improve the forecast.

Forecasting 101 is the fourth installment in the 2010 Applying Business Analytics Webinar Series, which is designed to enable organizations to learn from the best business, product marketing and tech experts as they highlight the value of a complete business analytics framework. Join the sessions live or view sessions on demand at their leisure.