ABSTRACT
SDF teams are collaborative forecasting organizations and their processes are based on teamwork, free information exchange and knowledge sharing, and close coordination with project team activities. In all projects, SDF team members create forums for project teams to combine product, industry, environmental, competitive intelligence, corporate strategy, market knowledge, analytical forecasting models, and knowledge of future events to create plausible scenarios and develop long-term forecasts. In short, these forums are created to bring together all corporate resources and collective knowledge. Therefore, from the SDF team perspective, the reasons that good forecasts are really needed are to build the team’s own confidence in the forecast, to develop all-around credibility, and to manage key project stakeholder expectations. Over time, reliable strategic forecasts help clients and the SDF team to command resources needed, to manage project issues and politics more efficiently, and to plan and navigate through future uncertainty more effectively. Thus, reliable forecasts enable SDF team to build best-in-class organizational competencies and position SDF team members to become trusted advisors in strategic projects.
