Key Metrics to Track for Planner Coding: Capturing Unforeseen Events in Forecasting for Growing Brands

Planner coding introduces manual adjustments into forecasting workflows to capture unforeseen demand variability. Without appropriate governance metrics, these overrides can distort procurement decisions.

Demand planners must track KPIs that reflect the operational impact of manual adjustments.

Weighted Mean Absolute Percentage Error (WMAPE) should be tracked specifically during periods impacted by unforeseen events.

This highlights the effectiveness of planner coding in capturing uplift variability.

Bias reveals systematic over- or underestimation introduced by overrides.

Persistent bias indicates override misalignment.

Error contribution identifies high-impact SKUs where planner coding introduces forecast distortion.

Targeted override review improves planning efficiency.

Service level metrics should be evaluated during event-driven demand spikes.

This reflects inventory alignment effectiveness.

Inventory accumulation following unforeseen events indicates overestimated uplift.

Post-event monitoring reduces markdown exposure.

Working capital tied to inventory investment should be tracked relative to forecast adjustments.

Override-driven volatility can then be identified.

Time spent on override maintenance should be monitored as an efficiency metric.

High maintenance time indicates reliance on manual coding.

For growing brands, tracking the right metrics ensures planner coding improves rather than distorts forecasting outcomes.

Override practices must be evaluated continuously to align procurement decisions with anticipated consumption patterns.