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Accelerate your career growth, leadership opportunities, marketability, and job security
Validate your professional experience, knowledge, and skill-sets in the field
Build confidence knowing that you’re prepared for today’s rapidly changing marketplace
Complement your supply chain education & certifications with IBF
Become more recognized at your company, as well as in the field
Save time and resources as IBF certified individuals are pre-qualified, allowing you to quickly identify the right person for an S&OP or forecasting/demand planning job
Gain assurance that an IBF Certified individual has the background to help improve forecasting performance and hit the ground running
Increase the value of your forecasting and demand planning staff, department, and company
Save time and resources in training — CPF or ACPF professionals already have a verified body of knowledge
And much more!
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It has helped me tremendously with not only learning forecasting best practices but also in showing others I know what I'm doing. When I moved companies it helped me not only land a job, but get the compensation I was looking for. -
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Earning certification with IBF was an opportunity to take in the academic side of my discipline. It made me more confident in approaching the business and in the recommendations i was making.
A starting point for students as they enter the job market. Exam 1, 2 & 3
Earned by passing exam 1, 2 & 3
After receiving CPF, earned by passing exam 4 & 5
There are three ways an individual can be eligible for the Certification program.
1) The potential candidate must have at least a Bachelor's degree and one year of professional experience in Business Forecasting and Planning.
2) If the individual does not have a Bachelor's degree, two years of professional experience in Business Forecasting and Planning can fulfill the eligibility requirement.
3) For students or those new to practicing forecasting & planning, you can earn a CPF-C by passing the exams. Then, once you complete 1 year of professional experience, we can upgrade you to full CPF status.
Your proof of eligibility could be in the form of a letter from your employer stating that you have worked in the business forecasting field as X (position) for Y amount of years in Z (company).
- There are 3 exams:
- Exam 1: 150 multiple choice questions
- Exam 2: 125 multiple choice questions
- Exam 3: 100 multiple choice questions
- 2 hours are given to complete each exam
- CPF is earned when 70% or higher is scored for each exam individually*
What you Need to Know about Demand Planning, Forecasting, and S&OP
- Role of Forecasting & Planning in Decision Making
- Demand Planning (Demand Sensing Shaping, & Creating)
- Forecasting & Planning Process
- Consumption (POS Data) Based Forecasting & Planning
- Consensus Forecasting & Planning
- Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) Process
- Collaborative, Planning, Forecasting, & Replenishment (CPFR)
Data Management and time Series Forecasting Modeling
- Data Analysis & Treatment
- Fundamentals of Models & Modeling
- Types of Models
- Time Series Models
- Model Selection
- Metrics: Measuring Forecast Error and Performance
Reporting, Presenting, New Product Forecasting and Planning
- Forecast Reporting, Presentation and Communication
- Winning Support and-Confidence of Management
- Getting Buy-in from Stakeholders
- New Product Forecasting
- You must first earn the CPF designation
- There are 2 exams containing 70 multiple choice questions each
- 2 Hours are given to complete each exam
- ACPF is earned when 70% or higher is scored for each exam individually*
Forecast Modeling (Advanced)
- Regression/Cause & Effect Models
- Steps to Build a Regression Model
- Diagnostic Tools for Assessing Regression Models
- Development and Application of Dummy Variables in Multiple Regression
- Improving a Multiple Regression Model
- ARIMA/Box-Jenkins Modeling
- Assumptions of ARIMA Modeling
- ARIMA Models vs. Regression Models
- Types of ARIMA Models
- Steps to Build an ARIMA Model
- Improving ARIMA Models
Technology and Worst Practices in Forecasting & Planning
- Forecasting & Planning Technology
- Forecasting Package vs. Forecasting System
- Selecting a Forecasting Package
- Technology Capabilities
- Scalability
- Forecasting System Implementation
- Worst Practices in Forecasting & Demand Planning
Study material for this course is available for purchase. Please click here to purchase our "Fundamentals of Demand Planning & Forecasting" text book. The textbook includes an outline of what is covered for each exam. (Most professionals register for Exams 1, 2, & 3 for CPF or Exams 4 & 5 for ACPF all at once).
This book will cover most of the material for the exams.
However, there is no single book available that covers everything about business forecasting & planning. It is assumed the candidate has prior knowledge and experience in the area.
- PREDICTIVE BUSINESS ANALYTICS, FORECASTING & PLANNING CONFERENCE
- IBF's Virtual Business Forecasting, Planning, & S&OP/IBP Conference
- BUSINESS PLANNING, FORECASTING & S&OP: BEST PRACTICES CONFERENCE
- LEADERSHIP FORUM
- BUSINESS PLANNING, FORECASTING & S&OP CONFERENCE: EUROPE
- BEST OF THE BEST S&OP CONFERENCE
- Demand Planning, S&OP and Forecasting Boot Camp
IBF certification is valid for a period of 4 years.
After a 4 year term it becomes necessary to re-certify in order to ensure that the professional maintains adequate experience and training in the area of Forecasting and Planning.
This means keeping abreast of new technologies and developments in methods, processes, approaches, systems, and more.
For Recertification, professionals are required to accumulate a number of continuing education points to maintain their certification designation. Number of points required for each certification:
- CPF - 40 Points
- ACPF - 50 Points
Re-certification points are earned by attending demand planning, forecasting, S&OP, analytics, and supply chain related conferences, workshops, training, and courses, or any other related activities within the four year time frame.. Once it has been documented that the required points have been earned, the IBF will renew the certification.
Re-taking all relevant certification exams is also an acceptable way to re-certify.
Recertification Fee: (After every four years of possessing the CPF or ACPF)
IBF Member: $50, Non-Member: $75
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