Forecast-to-fulfill (F2F) process

Forecast-to-fulfill (F2F) is the end-to-end supply chain process that runs from forecasting demand through planning, sourcing, making and storing goods to delivering customer orders. It links the decisions about what to buy and make with the work of filling orders, so that the plan and the inventory it produces match what customers actually order.

Typical steps include demand forecasting, sales and operations planning, supply and production planning, procurement, inventory management, warehousing and order fulfillment. Each step relies on data from the one before, which is why companies measure the process as a whole, with indicators such as forecast accuracy, inventory turns and on-time, in-full delivery.

Most of this runs in ERP and supply chain planning systems. Forecasting models, integrations that keep stock and order data current across systems, and alerts about shortages are the usual places where data and automation improve the process.