Predictive Planning and Forecasting Leads to Competitive Advantages

PRESS RELEASE – WÜRZBURG, September 28th, 2022

– Key Finding #1: More than a quarter of the companies surveyed use predictive planning productively (27%), a strong increase since 2020 (4%).
– Key Finding #2: A large proportion of organizations use predictive planning for the partial automation of forecasts (55%), and as many as 70% intend to do so in the future.
– Key Finding #3: Predictive planning and forecasting is most often implemented using data science tools (60%).

The analyst firm BARC today published the study “Predictive Planning and Forecasting on the Rise – Hype or Reality?”, for which 295 companies of various sizes and industries worldwide were surveyed. The study shows that 27 percent of respondents already use predictive algorithms and machine learning (ML) in corporate planning (“predictive planning and forecasting”). Another 17 percent are currently developing corresponding solutions or using prototypes. In a BARC study from 2020, only 4 percent said they supported corporate planning with predictive planning.

Study author Dr. Christian Fuchs, Senior Analyst at BARC, commented on the results: “The survey shows that many companies have recognized the potential of predictive planning and forecasting. Corporate planning benefits from more accurate, more frequent and automated forecasts, and relieves planning teams of routine tasks.”

Partial automation of forecasts is the primary use case, adopted by 55 percent of the companies surveyed (see figure below).

What do you use predictive planning for? / What do you plan to use predictive planning for? (n=73, n=124)
© BARC 2022

The study results also show that concerted actions deliver more benefits to companies than isolated measures. Study author Robert Tischler, Senior Analyst at BARC, emphasized: “The data from our study clearly shows that predictive planning delivers more benefits when it is embedded in a comprehensive realignment of the company or finance department. This often allows synergies to be exploited and the use of resources to be optimized.”

Predictive planning and forecasting is most often implemented with data science tools (60 percent overall, and 72 percent for larger companies). These are particularly suitable for implementing a wide range of use cases, which can be individually designed or sophisticated, but also require competent resources. 53 percent of respondents use analytics & BI tools, while only 36 percent use enterprise planning software with integrated predictive planning capabilities.

About the report

Predictive Planning and Forecasting on the Rise – Hype or Reality? is a BARC study that examines current usage of predictive planning and forecasting and compares it with the results of past BARC studies. The study is based on a worldwide survey of 295 companies of different sizes and industries.

The authors of the study are Dr. Christian Fuchs and Robert Tischler, Senior Analysts for Data & Analytics at BARC.

The study is available for download free of charge thanks to sponsorship by Board, Corporate Planning, Jedox, OneStream, PwC and Serviceware.

About BARC

BARC (Business Application Research Center) is one of Europe’s leading analyst firms for business software, focusing on the areas of data, business intelligence (BI) and analytics, enterprise content management (ECM) and customer relationship management (CRM). The company was founded in 1999 as a spin-off of the Chair of Business Administration and Information Systems at the Julius-Maximilians-University in Würzburg. Today, BARC combines empirical and theoretical research, technical expertise and practical experience, including a constant exchange with all market participants.

Contact

For all enquiries and further information, please contact:

Axel Bange
Tel: +49 (0) 2331 356 93 95
Email: abange@barc.de