Demand planning overview

Demand planning answers one question: given what you expect to sell and what you already have, what do you need to buy or build, and when? Fiddle pulls these signals together so you can act before stock runs out.

What feeds the plan

Fiddle weighs your supply against your demand:

Signal	Side
On hand & incoming	Supply you have or expect
Reserved & open orders	Demand already committed
Reorder points	The threshold that triggers replenishment
Sales history	The trend that estimates future demand

Reading the plan

For each item, Fiddle shows projected availability over time and flags where it dips below your reorder point. Items trending toward a shortfall are surfaced first so you can prioritize.

Acting on it

1. Review the flagged items and their suggested quantities.
2. For purchased items, raise a purchase order to the supplier (see purchasing).
3. For manufactured items, schedule a work order to build more.

Keep reorder points and supplier lead times current. The plan is only as good as the thresholds and timing you feed it.

Forecasts are estimates, not promises. Treat suggestions as a starting point and apply your knowledge of seasonality and one-off events.

Next steps

For ongoing consumption of components, pair planning with depletion plans.